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Ajax youth player Noah Gesser has died in a car accident at the age of 16.

The incident took place on Friday evening, with his brother having also been killed.

Ajax confirmed the sad news on Saturday and expressed their condolences to Gesser's family.

A club statement read: "Ajax has received the terrible news that Noah Gesser has passed away. The sixteen-year-old youth academy player was killed in a car accident with his brother on Friday evening.

"Noah Gesser was born on February 27, 2005 in IJsselstein. He has played for Ajax since 2018. The young striker joined Ajax from Alphense Boys, after having previously played football at Almere City and VVIJ. This season he was set to play for Ajax U17.

"This afternoon, at the exhibition matches of Ajax 1 and Young Ajax, there will be special attention for this horrible news. There will be a minute of silence before the matches start and the Ajax players will wear armbands in mourning of Gesser’s passing. In addition, flags will be flown at half-mast at the Toekomst sports complex.

"Ajax is deeply moved by this tragic event. The club wishes Gesser’s loved ones strength in the coming time in dealing with this immeasurable loss."

Ajax CEO and former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar wrote on Twitter: "Deeply touched by the tragic death of Ajax player Noah Gesser and his brother.

"On behalf of all of Ajax, I want to offer my condolences and support to the family, friends and all relatives during this incredibly difficult time."

Tournament hosts Japan will meet Spain in the Olynpics semi-finals.

Japan beat New Zealand on penalties on Saturday to secure a place in the final four.

The two sides played out a goalless 120 minutes at the Kashima Soccer Stadium to take the tie into a shootout, with Japan coming out 4-2 winners.

Who else is in the semi-finals?

Spain, meanwhile, were almost knocked out of the competition in their clash with Ivory Coast, but a stoppage time goal from Rafa Mir made it 2-2 and took the game into extra time.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored a penalty in the first half of extra time before two more Mir goals saw La Roja go through with a 5-2 win.

Japan or Spain will meet either Brazil or Mexico in the final of the tournament.

Brazil went through with a 1-0 win against Egypt thanks to a first-half goal from Matheus Cunha.

Mexico, on the other hand, dominated against South Korea to ensure their hopes of picking up a medal are still alive.

Henry Martin, Luis Romo and Francisco Cordova struck to give El Tri a 3-1 half-time lead.

Korea pulled one back in the second half to give them a chance, but three minutes later Mexico restored their lead. Goals from Cordova and Eduardo Aguirre moved even further ahead before Ui-Jo Hwang struck late on to make it 6-3.

When will the semi-finals be played?

The two semi-final ties will be played on Tuesday August 3.

The clash between Brazil and Mexico in Kashima will kick off first, with Japan and Spain going head-to-head in Saitama later on.

When is the final?

The losing semi-finalists will go ahead to decide which team gets the bronze medal on August 6.

Then, the other two sides will face off for the gold and silver medals the following day in Yokohama.

Further reading

Egypt have been eliminated from the Tokyo Olympic Games after going down 1-0 to Brazil in a quarter-final match at the Saitama Stadium on Saturday.
 
Matheus Cunha scored the goal that gave Brazil the slim win and ended the African nation's participation in the global competition.
 
Egypt's well-organised defence managed to keep Brazil at bay in the opening minutes. When the South Americans, who were enjoying possession, attempted to make forward runs, they met a well-drilled Egyptian backline.
 
In the sixth minute, Brazil won a corner after Diego Carlos spotted Dani Alves on the flank and the former Sevilla full-back floated a cross for Richarlison, but Egypt's Mohamed El Shenawy tipped the ball over the bar.
 
Egypt registered the first shot on goal in the 13th minute after Brazil struggled to clear Karim El Eraki's cross, giving Akram Tawfik a chance to head just wide of Santos' far post.
 
A good combination between Cunha and Richarlison almost gave Brazil an opener in the 29th minute, but El Shenawy was alert to make a save from the latter's deflected shot.

Richarlison made his way from the left flank before he passed the ball to Cunha, who was at the edge of the box and whose blocked cross landed on Douglas Luiz's path, but the latter could not find the back of the net from a promising position in the 34th minute.
 
Brazil finally broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when they engineered a counter-attack. Richarlison sped towards Egypt's goal and passed the ball to Cunha, who managed to find the bottom corner with a low strike.

Egypt were caught off guard as they pleaded for a dismissed penalty call and that gave Brazil a chance to counter-attack and score the opener.
 
The South Americans almost doubled the lead in the 48th minute when Cunha found himself through on goal but Egypt were saved by El Shenawy, who was quick to close in on his opponent and blocked the ball with his face.
 
The African side made changes two minutes after the hour mark as Nasser Maher and Emam Ashour replaced Ahmed Rayan and El Eraki. Three minutes later, Malcolm and Reinier were brought on to replace Antony and Claudinho for Brazil.
 
The changes looked to have re-energised Egypt who enjoyed more possession a few minutes after and almost grabbed an equaliser in the 73rd minute.

After a good cross to him, Taher Mohamed attempted to lift the ball across Brazil's goal but the opponents reacted quickly to clear the danger.
 
Egypt came close to getting an equaliser again in the 87th minute when Akram Tawfik was left unmarked at the far post. The forward collected a free-kick ball and knocked it down, but Brazil cleared it as he was about to pull the trigger.

Youssoufa Moukoko has described his Borussia Dortmund teammate, striker Erling Haaland, as a complete striker who always fights for the team.

The Cameroon-born youngster, who made his professional debut for Dortmund last season, has revealed he is impressed by the Norwegian, who is the lead striker for the German side.

“Erling is the striker's striker. He scores goals, he fights, he works. He always wants to win, even in training. With this attitude he helps the team,” Moukoko said as quoted by Fussball.News.

The 16-year-old managed 15 appearances for Dortmund last season, scoring three goals, and his target in the new campaign is to prove himself by scoring more goals and providing assists.

"I want to collect more game minutes than in my first season, score more goals, provide more assists,” Moukoko continued.

“I always want to be there when the team needs me. Of course, it will be difficult. But I have to trust my abilities. I need playing time. And I'm sure I will get more playing time.”

Moukoko became the youngest Bundesliga debutant in history at the age of 16 years and one day in Dortmund's away game at Hertha BSC on November 21 last year.

Following his appearance, he became the youngest player in league history, breaking the previous record set by Nuri Sahin, who made his debut at 16 years and 334 days.

Moukoko has also revealed his target for the new campaign is to help the team to win the league title.

“Our captain Marco Reus has already said that we can play for the title. That’s why I want to become German champions and win the trophy,” added the youngster, who also wants clinch the Champions League.

“If we believe in ourselves, we can achieve a lot in the Champions League too.”

Moukoko made his Champions League debut on December 8, 2020, when he came off the bench in Dortmund's clash with Zenit St Petersburg, to become the youngest player to ever appear in the competition at the age of 16 years and 18 days.

The record was previously held by Nigeria's Celestine Babayaro, who played for Belgian club Anderlecht against Steaua Bucuresti at the age of 16 years and 87 days.

Algeria international Said Benrahma has conceded it is weird to play against Brentford in pre-season and the Premier League, a team that was like a family to him.

The North African joined West Ham United last season from the Bees, who were playing in the EFL Championship.

They were promoted to the Premier League at the end of last season, but before they meet in the top tier, they will meeting on Saturday in a pre-season friendly match.

"Without a doubt, I think that Brentford is a club that gave me everything. They did give me everything, they helped me, they made me evolve and grow. Despite the fact I was only there for two years, they showed me a lot of love," Benrahma told the West Ham website.

"It is special to go back, it is a friendly match but we will also play them in the league this year. I’m happy for them that they got promoted, it’s a well-structured and well-run club. I’m very pleased that they came up to the Premier League.

"It is always weird to play against your old club. It is a team that gave me a lot, they’re like my family and I won’t forget that."

The 25-year-old played a vital role to help the Hammers win league matches against Burnley and West Bromwich Albion, having a hand in three goals scored.

In the new campaign, the attacker has already set his target.

"No doubt, this year I am setting myself objectives and I hope that I can achieve them," Benrahma continued.

"I am excited to begin my second season, I can’t wait to get started and to show everything that I can bring to this team and this Club. Of course, I’ll need to have confidence, but I think that will come on its own.

"Now, I’m already trying to prepare myself to be ready for this season so we'll see."

The match between the two teams will be played at  Brentford Community Stadium.

Both teams are unbeaten in their pre-season matches. West ham defeated Celtic 6-2 in their last outing while Brentford drew 2-2 with Manchester United.

The eagerly awaited FKF Premier League derby pitting AFC Leopards against rivals Gor Mahia will not take place as planned.

The second-round fixture pitting the oldest rivals in Kenyan history against each other was slated for Thika Stadium on Saturday, but the two clubs stuck to their earlier threats that they will not show up until they receive their Shield Cup money and grants from the Football Kenya Federation.

Interestingly, the two giants went ahead to organise a friendly which was played at Camp Toyoyo with Gor Mahia winning the game 1-0 courtesy of Samuel Onyango's goal.

When reached for comment, FKF president Nick Mwendwa has told Goal they will make a decision on what to do now on Sunday.

What has been said?

“We did our part, the game was supposed to go live and all cameras were here ready for the action but the teams have failed to show up,” Mwendwa told Goal.

“We will discuss this issue tomorrow [Sunday] and make it official to the public, of course, a punishment will be meted, I don’t know what it will be because we must meet as a committee to decide, but we will give the clear picture on Sunday.”

Earlier in the day, Mwendwa warned Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards of punishment should they fail to turn up for the derby.

Mwendwa warning to AFC and Gor

"Let them fail to honour the game. We can not even discuss that with you now, let them just fail to turn up. I pray a lot that they do not honour the fixture," Mwendwa told Goal.

"I have been in football for 21 years and I clearly see no problem that Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards can cause. Do you know that Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards are supposed to pay Fifa fines next week and if they fail, they could even face relegation? 

"Do you know that they can not engage in transfers as we speak? They can not sign a player and their players are exiting. As we speak, nine Gor Mahia players are exiting and it is even worse at AFC Leopards.”

Shikanda maintains stand

On his part, AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda told Goal they will not go against their demands until they are met.

“We are not kids, we cannot play football on empty stomachs, we cannot be forced to play when players don’t have money to take home, and what hurts is the fact FKF have money from sponsors but they don’t want to remit it,” Shikanda told Goal.

“We will not be cowed, nothing will move us and let him or FKF take the disciplinary action they feel is right.”

This is the first time in the history of the league that the two clubs have come together to boycott a derby.

Further FKF Premier League reading 

Ivory Coast conceded three times in extra time to lose 5-2 against Spain to crash out of the Olympic Games in Tokyo on Saturday.

After Manchester United defender Eric Bailly gave the Ivorians the early lead, Dani Olmo hit back for Spain midway through the first half, but Max Gradel thought he'd scored the winner for the West Africans in added time, only for Rafa Mir to equalise and send the game to extra time.

Here, Mikel Oyarzabal's penalty gave Spain the lead for the first time, before two more goals from Mir late on gave the European nation the victory and a berth in the semi-finals.

It was Ivory Coast who showed confidence and composure in the early exchanges and they managed to take the lead after just 10 minutes when Spain conceded a free kick in a dangerous area that was not cleared, and Gradel played in Bailly who managed to beat the keeper from close range.

The lead, however, lasted for just 20 minutes.

A swift counterattack from the Europeans ended with the ball at the feet of Juan Miranda who tried to score, and while the ball went to a defender, his backpass was intercepted by Olmo who scored the equalizer.

Spain thought they had scored their second with two minutes left to the half-time break, but after consulting VAR, the strike by Oyarzabal was scrapped off.

Olmo could have scored the second for his team in the 49th minute, but despite being in the penalty area, he skied his effort, much to the relief of the Ivory Coast team.

A blunder by the goalkeeper almost gifted Spain a second goal in the 55th minute - Mikel Merino was in a great position just outside the 18-yard area but his effort hit the crossbar with the goalkeeper well beaten.

In the 89th minute, goalkeeper Eliezer Ira Tape in the Ivorians' goal pulled off a fantastic save to deny Spain, with Oyarzabal nearly putting his name on the scoresheet again.

The missed chance came back to haunt his team as Ivory Coast took the lead a minute later. Gradel was well fed in the danger zone and his fierce strike was just too much for Unai Simon in the Spain goal to deal with.

That goal seemed like it could be the winner, but a concentration lapse at the back allowed Spain to steal possession in the final minute of stoppage time, and Mir scored to send the game to extra time.

The first chance of extra time fell to Spain when Bailly handled the ball in the 98th minute and after a VAR consultation, Spain were awarded a penalty which Oyarzabal expertly converted. 

The fourth goal for Spain came in the 117th minute, this time around it was Olmo who passed the ball to Mir to complete his brace.

He completed his hat-trick five minutes later, this time around scoring from a precise pass from Oyarzabal.

Glyn Binkin, the agent of SuperSport United midfielder Teboho Mokoena says they “will consider local options” as Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns are reportedly interested in the player.

The 24-year-old is said to have been a target of the two traditional giants. 

Binkin says the midfielder is eying a move overseas but they have not ruled out the player joining a local club.

“There’s obviously interest from local clubs, obviously, Chiefs, Sundowns have expressed interest,” Binkin told iDiski Times.

“But I think he would like to first go overseas, I think that will be his priority. And that’s what we focus on for now. We will consider the local options, they will always be there, I believe because he’ll always be a good player. But he wants to be able to test himself at a higher level.”

Mokoena was with the South Africa national Under-23 side at the Olympic Games in Japan.

He scored in the 4-3 defeat to France in what drew attention to him.

While Chiefs and Sundowns are reportedly after the player, Binkin feels it will be “sensible” for SuperSport to accept offers from overseas clubs.

“But to be honest, SuperSport will also be sensible in terms of Teboho, they will ideally like him to go overseas,” Bikini said.

“So if it means they will be accepting less potentially now, but with a bigger up-sell in the future, I’m sure that they would consider that.” 

Mokoena was a 19-year-old when then-SuperSport United coach Baxter promoted him from the reserve side to make his debut in a 4-1 win over Highlands Park in October 2016. 

Since that season, Mokoena has been clocking more than 20 league games per season, with his highest being 29 during the 2019/20 campaign

Losing Mokoena could prove to be a blow to SuperSport coach Kaitano Tembo who has already seen Grant Kekana joining Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Tshwane side is also concerned they could lose Sipho Mbule who is a reported target of Chiefs and Sundowns.

This comes after Tembo said they have no financial capacity to go into the market for big-name players. 

James Rodriguez has ruled out ever returning to Real Madrid.

The midfielder spent six years at the Spanish giants, though two of those seasons were on loan at Bayern Munich.

Rodriguez left the Spanish capital last summer to join Everton, but rumours of a possible return began circulating when coach Carlo Ancelotti left the Toffees to take up a second spell at the Santiago Bernabeu.

What has been said?

But the 30-year-old says he is not interested in going back to Madrid.

When asked by a viewer if he would return to Los Blancos, Rodriguez said on Twitch: "No, I don't think so. It is a closed cycle now, which is not going to be repeated."

Will he stay at Everton?

Rodriguez's future has come into question since Rafael Benitez replaced Ancelotti at the helm of the Merseyside club.

The Spaniard recently hinted that the former Monaco star could be sold and Rodriguez admits he does not know where he will be next season.

"They are asking me a lot where I am going to play. I don't know, the truth is a quite complicated issue. Let's see what happens," he said. 

"I don't want to say yes and no, because I don't know. I'm training well and hard. I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know where I'm going to play. In football and in life we don't know anything. 

"I'm training hard, preparing well, training for myself and that's it. You have to think about the present and the present is here, I'm training hard for everything to come.

Where could Rodriguez go?

The Colombia international has so far played in the top leagues of England, Spain, Germany, France and Portugal.

While he does not know where his next move will be, he is intrigued to complete the set and give Serie A a try.

"I don't know where I'm going to go, where they want me, you have to be where they want you, or else you can go," he added.

"I've already played in all of them. I am missing Italy, but I don't know. It would be a good option, but in the future I don't know if it will come to pass. I still haven't played in Italy, it would be good to make that record."

Further reading

Nigeria midfielder Frank Onyeka has revealed France and Chelsea FC midfielder N'Golo Kante is his favourite player.

The midfielder will be rubbing shoulders with the Blues man in the Premier League, after sealing a move to Brentford from FC Midtjylland. The West African further revealed he was a Yaya Toure fan and went on to explain why.

"I do of course watch the Premier League, one of the best leagues in the world, I watch Premier League back home and I've been following the Premier League all these years," Onyeka told the club's official portal.

"I'll say Kante [is my favourite player] but before he moved to Leicester City I followed Yaya Toure but now it is more of Kante. Toure was amazing, good on the ball, the way he played his own football was amazing, a box-to-box midfielder.

"I think it is more of Kante now because I watch him a lot. The way he plays is pretty amazing. I have never seen a midfielder like him. But he is different, I am different. He is Kante, I am Frank so we are different. I play my own way, he plays his own way."

On Wednesday, the 23-year-old had a taste of English football in a 2-2 draw away to Manchester United.

"It was good to get my first minutes, it was amazing playing in Old Trafford, I watched Old Trafford on television and I got to play [there on Wednesday]. It was pretty and a good experience for me as well. 

"[The match] was pretty intense and the pace of the game was high, it was really fast. At some point, it was difficult to get along but that is how it is in the Premier League."

However, the Super Eagle was substituted after a hard tackle from James Garner and he has revealed how he is feeling.

"You know I am Frank 'The Tank', so of course in a few days [my leg is] going to be fine, it's just a little pain so nothing to worry about," Onyeka continued.

"I love to tackle, actually I gave one before I got one, so it is normal for me when I get tackled. I think [Garner] was pretty hard on me."

Brentford were promoted to the top-tier this season and have so far played four pre-season matches, winning three and drawing one.

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has revealed the reason goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was handed a contract extension at the club.

Khune’s future at the Soweto-giants was in doubt until three days ago when he was handed a two-year deal with the club also extending the contracts of Khama Billiat, Lebogang Manyama, Bernard Parker, and Ramahler Mphahlele.

The 34-year-old is the longest-serving player in the current team as he has been a part of the senior team set-up since 2004 and according to Baxter, his contract extension was informed by his 'enthusiasm' when playing or not.

What has been said?

“Itu has had an absolutely amazing career so far…what he has shown is that if he is injured, he is still good to have around the place, if he is placed on the bench he is still good to have around the place if it’s at training. He has an infectious enthusiasm and is still good to have around the place,” Baxter told journalists as quoted by farpost.co.za.

On his part, Khune said he was grateful for the chance to play for Amakhosi again and further said he was ready for the competition in the team’s goalkeeping department terming the presence of Daniel Akpeyi and Bruce Bvuma as healthy.

“I’m grateful for yet another opportunity. We have great goalkeeping options and we all have to fight for the number one spot, no one is guaranteed,” Khune said.

“We always have healthy competition [because] everyone is number one. We are going to support one another if you’re not playing because we’re not doing it for ourselves, we all want to help the club to achieve what we have set out to achieve.”

On extending his contract, Chiefs said in a statement: “The goalkeeper has been given two years’ extension to his contract. This means the player will go into his record-equalling 18th season with Kaizer Chiefs’ senior team. He joins Patrick ‘Ace’ Ntsoelengoe in the record books of Amakhosi. Ntsoelengoe played for Chiefs from 1970 and retired in 1988.”

Khune will have another chance to impress if he starts when Chiefs take on rivals Orlando Pirates in the Carling Black Label Cup at Orlando Stadium on Sunday.

Further PSL reading 

Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa has warned Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards of punishment should they fail to turn up for the Mashemeji Derby on Saturday.

On Friday, the two local giants stated they would not play the game if FKF will not pay grants and Shield Cup prize money owed to them, but Mwendwa has threatened them with unnamed punishment if they go on and abscond the game.

"Let them fail to honour the game. We can not even discuss that with you now, let them just fail to turn up. I pray a lot that they do not honour the fixture," Mwendwa told Goal.

"I have been in football for 21 years and I clearly see no problem that Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards can cause. Do you know that Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards are supposed to pay Fifa fines next week and if they fail, they could even face relegation? 

"Do you know that they can not engage in transfers as we speak? They can not sign a player and their players are exiting. As we speak, nine Gor Mahia players are exiting and it is even worse at AFC Leopards. 

"The sponsor's money for the Shield Cup was not enough and it is FKF that settles the prize money and after the final, we told the clubs that the money would be paid by August 5th and they cannot write a demand letter now. 

"What is the relationship between the Shield Cup and the Premier League? How can one claim he would not attend a league game because there are Shield Cup arrears? Have you ever heard of a club in the world claiming it would not honour a game because there is no money?"

Mwendwa clarified the clubs have not been paid grants for the month of July only and not as AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia claim. The FA chief asserts that the two clubs are making noise to divert attention generated by their in-house problems.

"The only money we have not paid the league clubs is for the month of July and do you know that we have granted AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia loans on three occasions?

"I wonder what courage they have to write this letter now. What if we write a letter and state that we will not put them on the Premier League roster? What would they have done?" asked Mwendwa.

 "If they are relegated by Fifa, what do you think will happen? They are just like any other club and there is no difference. They are only raising their voices because their clubs are having crises. They are in bad situations, but we as FKF have not been leaking information and if we start leaking them, they will run."

On his part, AFC Leopards chair Dan Shikanda maintained the demands of their letter still stand.

"If you give us the money now, it means the money was there and it also means you were intentionally holding onto our money. But for clarity, whatever we wrote in the letter, we still stand by it. Nothing has changed," Shikanda told Goal.

"People joke a lot and take sports as a part-time adventure and not a professional one."

The issue of grants could end up generating friction between the clubs and the FA toward the end of the season.

Super Eagle Kelechi Iheanacho insists Leicester City are not taking pre-season matches for granted while discussing his personal progress to get ready for the Premier League.

The Foxes have so far played two build-up matches, with the latest one being away to Wycombe where they lost by a solitary goal. On Saturday, they will be playing another match against QPR.

"Obviously, it’s to get minutes, but I think the results… of course, we want to get results in these games," Iheanacho told the club's official portal.

"It didn’t turn out that way [at Wycombe], but hopefully in the remaining games, we’ll get results and we’ll be ready for the season.

"It is not going to be easy [at QPR] but we will try and get something out of that game. Obviously, they are a good side. They are going to be difficult to break down, but of course, we’re working on our fitness levels and tactics-wise, the coaches and the gaffer are all there. We will get through [on Saturday]."

The 24-year-old has further revealed how the pre-season preparations have been progressing.

"It has been amazing; we have been working really hard. You know, obviously, it’s pre-season, so we need to work hard and get minutes and prepare for this season. We have been working really hard and preparing ourselves, so it’s going quite well," Iheanacho said.

"It has not been a bad week at all. It is hard and tough, but I think the last week was harder! It’s been going pretty good and, of course, we need minutes and game time for everyone. Hopefully, that’s where we’re heading and I think we’re going in the right direction."

The attacker has further stated he is doing well and getting fitter.

"I’m getting fitter day by day and I think everybody is getting fitter. The coaches are doing a good job to get everybody at a very good level of fitness. We’re getting there and, before the season starts, everybody will be ready to crack on."

Orlando Pirates midfielder Ben Motshwari says the club “didn’t have centre-backs” as he acknowledges the arrival of Kwanda Mngonyama.

Mngonyama was recently signed from Maritzburg United and brings with him eight seasons of experience in the Premier Soccer League.

The defender will be competing for playtime against captain Happy Jele, Thulani Hlatshwayo and Ntsikelelo Nyauza. 

He joins Pirates together with Goodman Mosele, Monnapule Saleng and Bandile Shandu who was his teammate at Maritzburg.

“The new guys who’ve come in have adjusted very well. In terms of Kwanda, [we needed him] because we didn’t have centre-backs as most of the guys were injured. I think they are good signings because they’ll add more depth to the squad,” said Motshwari as per IOL.

“If you check Sundowns, they’ve been competing very well, not only locally but in Africa as well. They have a big pool of players.
“I think it’s going to be a positive for us as well going into the new season having balance and depth in various positions.”

As injuries rocked the Soweto giants last season, coach Josef Zinnbauer was at one time forced to play Innocent Maela as a central defender.

Pirates return to the Caf Confederation Cup after finishing third in the PSL last season, and Motshwari is refusing to criticise how they performed.

“I think we did well, although that was not enough for the club and the squad,” Motshwari said.

“Most of the guys have been retained from last season, and there’s so much experience there.”

“I think this season it’s important how we start, carry and push ourselves. In terms of our targets as a team we should start now [by winning] the Carling Black Label Cup. And then going forward we should carry ourselves as professionals.”

Coach Zinnbauer won the MTN8 trophy last season and will have the Carling Black Label Cup as his chance for a second piece of silverware.

Pirates face traditional rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Black Label Cup on Sunday at Orlando Stadium.

FC Saint Eloi Lupopo have confirmed the signing of Democratic Republic of the Congo midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu.

In a statement on the club’s social media pages, the former Paris Saint-Germain player has signed a one-year contract after arriving in Kinshasa two days ago.

“Youssouf Mulumbu is now Lupopo,” the statement said: “The Congolese international has just signed with Football Club Saint Eloi Lupopo of Haut-Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"The ceremony was done today [Friday] in Kinshasa where our countryman arrived two days ago, Lupopo was represented by the new President Jacques Kyabula Katwe accompanied by Vice President Coco Mulongo.”

On signing the deal, Mulumbu said: “Let’s start the team, let’s win titles.”

The 34-year-old Mulumbu started his career at PSG in 2004 where he played until 2009 after earning 63 appearances and scoring one goal.

On January 26, 2009, he joined Premier League side West Bromwich Albion on a trial basis but during the January transfer deadline day, he joined them on loan with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the season.

Mulumbu's first term at The Hawthorns was interrupted by injuries and he had to wait until April to make his Premier League debut, coming on as a sub in a 2-2 draw at Portsmouth.

He signed for West Brom permanently on a one-year contract for a fee of £175,000 on July 10, 2009.

He was named West Brom's Player of the Year by both the club and the fans at the end of the season, and signed his third contract extension in 13 months on 25 July 2011, tying himself to the club until 2015 (with the option of an extra year).

Apart from West Brom, Mulumbu also played for Norwich City in 2015 before he moved to Scotland to sign for Kilmarnock until the end of the 2017-18 season.

Mulumbu, who also played for Celtic, and had turned out for France U20 and U21 teams, earned his first cap for the Congo DR national football team against Algeria on March 26, 2008.

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has confirmed Leonardo Castro will be out for 16 weeks due to injury.

Following the signing of Keagan Dolly by Chiefs earlier this week, there was anticipation that his combination with Khama Billiat and Castro will be 'reincarnated' as early as Sunday's Carling Black Label Cup against Orlando Pirates.

This is after their partnership thrived during their days at Mamelodi Sundowns, leading to a Caf Champions League triumph.

But Castro is set to miss a bigger part of the season in what will delay witnessing his combination with Billiat and Dolly.

“We’ve signed a few centre-backs, we've signed a few fullbacks,” said Baxter as per Sowetan Live. 

“In attack, we have options there. We have Leo Castro who’s probably going to be out for another 16 weeks and Lebo Manyama is coming back. Samir [Nurkovic]‚ we are hoping is going to be a clean bill of health now to kick on.”

Chiefs already have a depleted squad ahead of Sunday’s Carling Black Label tie against their old foes.

Apart from Castro, they will also be without the likes of attackers Billiat and Samir Nurkovic as well as defender Siyabonga Ngezana and Lebogang Manyama.

After making a number of new signings ahead of the upcoming season, Baxter says they are not yet done on the transfer market.

Chiefs signed the likes of Njabulo Ngcobo, Thabani Dube, Sifiso Hlanti, Sibusiso Mabiliso, Phathutshedzo Nange and goalkeeper Brandon Peterson.

SuperSport midfielder Teboho Mokoena is one of the players linked with Amakhosi.

“We’re always looking in the market, Baxter said.

“But at this moment in time, we feel that with the attacking options that we have, when we get everybody in, and everybody fits, then we’ll make a decision if we need to be active, or if we can just make‚ let’s say‚ contingency plans.  

“I think at the moment if we get everybody fit we can make a more definitive decision on that one.”

The Carling Black Label Cup returns after it failed to take place last season due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Football Kenya Federation Premier League side Tusker have denied reports they have withdrawn from the August 2021 Cecafa Kagame Cup.

On Friday, Cecafa rescheduled its program after claiming the Kenyan representatives had withdrawn but the Brewers have stated they are awaiting the green light from the FKF in order to go on with their plans.

"We received communication from the Football Kenya Federation through Chief Executive Officer Barry Otieno, informing us that we would represent the country at the Championships," Tusker chairman Daniel Aduda told the club's website. 

"However, the letter also informed us that they were negotiating with Cecafa to see if they can push the dates owing to the league engagements."

"The letter also duly informed us if they do not reach an amicable decision on the dates, then we would not be cleared to travel to Dar es Salaam. As it is, we have not yet received official communication with regards to our participation in the championships. As a club, we will oblige to any direction that the federation gives."

The competition is scheduled to start on August 1 and end on August 14 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Ugandan Premier League champions Express FC - the country's representatives in the Caf Champions League next season - will begin their campaign against Atlabara FC of South Sudan on August 1 before Tanzania's Yanga SC - who will also participate in the continent's premier club competition - face Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi, who were invited to the tournament, and both games will be played at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

Le Messager Ngozi of Burundi will play Zanzibar's KMKM before a match between KCCA FC and Azam FC at Azam Sports Complex. The second and third matchday action will be played on August 4 and 5.

KCCA are the defending champions after they won the trophy in 2019 in Kigali after beating Azam. The withdrawal of Tusker means KCCA, Azam and Yanga are the only sides in the tournament who have won the trophy before.

Cecafa Groups after Friday's reshuffle:

Group A: Young Africans (Tanzania), Nyasa Big Bullets (Malawi), Express FC (Uganda), Atlabara FC (South Sudan)

Group B: KCCA FC (Uganda), Azam FC (Tanzania), Le Messager Ngozi (Burundi), KMKM FC (Zanzibar).