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Azam FC striker Prince Dube has been voted the best player for the month of May in the Mainland Premier League.

Meanwhile, Azam coach George Lwandamina has also been named the best for the same month.

The Zimbabwean, who signed for the Jangwani giants at the start of the season, scooped the gong after beating Yanga SC goalkeeper Metacha Mnata and Kagera Sugar striker Erick Mwijage during the votes by coaches in the top-flight.

What has been said?

“Azam striker Prince Dube has been named the best player for the month of May while coach George Lwandamina has scooped the same award for the coach’s category,” read a statement from the Tanzania Premier League Board and obtained by Goal.

During the month, Dube contributed significantly to Azam’s good run in the league after he managed to score two goals and also chipped in with an assist, with the team playing two matches and winning both.

This is the second time for Dube to win the award, the first being in September last year while in April, he made it to the final shortlist of three players but lost to Simba SC midfielder Clatous Chama.

On his part, Lwandamina who joined Azam to replace the fired Romanian coach Aristica Cioaba, grabbed the award after guiding the team to two wins – 2-1 against KMC FC and 2-0 against Biashara United – which saw them stay in third position on the 18-team table.

The Zambian coach faced a stiff challenge from Kenyan coach Francis Baraza of Kagera Sugar and Abdallah Mohamed of JKT Tanzania.

Who are the past winners?

Some of the players to have won the award so far this season include Dube (September), Mukoko Tonombe of Yanga SC (October), John Bocco of Simba (November), Saido Ntibazonkiza of Yanga (December), Deogratius Mafie of Biashara United (January), Anuary Jabir of Dodoma Jiji (February), Luis Miquissone of Simba (March) and Chama of Simba (April).

Coaches who have won the gong include Cioaba of Azam (September), Cedric Kaze formerly at Yanga (October), Charles Mkwasa of Ruvu Shooting (November), Kaze of Yanga (December), Baraza while at Biashara (January), Zuberi Katwila of Ihefu FC (February), Mohammed Badru of Gwambina FC (March) and Didier Gomes Da Rosa of Simba (April).

Chelsea attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi has refused to shut the door on a possible international future with Ghana despite making three appearances for England.

Born in the United Kingdom, the winger, who has been snubbed by England for the upcoming European Championship, is eligible to switch allegiance to the West African nation owing to his Ghanaian parentage.

With three senior outings for the Three Lions already, time is running out for any possible switch as one more appearance for Gareth Southgate’s side will permanently tie him to the country of his birth.

“I think obviously when you’re young, you have the opportunity to play for England throughout all the years, from under 15 to under 16 all the way up,” the 20-year-old, who is currently on holiday in Ghana, said at an event when asked about his international future, Joy Sports has reported.

“When they obviously gave me the opportunity to come I was in the country already. It’s something that I already had in my mind, set on already playing for England.”

“So it was the thing obviously choosing Ghana or England, and at the end of the day I said I always had the right people around me who always advise me – what’s right, what’s wrong. England came and I said 'Yeah, let me go and play for my country.

“But I said Ghana is my home as well, so we’ll see, we’ll see. You’ll never know, so,” he said whilst giggling.

After playing for England at various youth levels, Hudson-Odoi, who recently won the Champions League with Chelsea, made his senior debut for the Three Lions as a 70th-minute substitute in a European Championship qualifier against the Czech Republic in March 2019.

Three days later, he won his first start for Southgate’s outfit in a 5-1 victory over Montenegro.

His last senior England appearance came in a 4-0 triumph over Kosovo in November in the same year.

As per current Fifa rules on eligibility, the attacker is allowed to make a switch to Ghana provided he has not played more than three senior matches for England and all the games had come before he turned 21 (on November 7). Also, he can only make an application three years after his last appearance for the nation he wishes to change from.

As per his current international match appearance status, any possible application for a switch can only be made after November 17 next year, just ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

Hudson-Odoi’s father Bismark played for Ghana Premier League leaders Hearts of Oak during his time in the West African country and his brother Bradley represented Ghana at U20 level.

After AmaZulu's Benni McCarthy was named Premier Soccer League coach of the season, South African fans reacted by arguing whether or not the retired Bafana Bafana star deserved the award.

Critics have pointed out McCarthy should not have been awarded because he joined Usuthu in December when the league was running and that the Mamelodi Sundowns duo of Manqoba Mngqithi and Rulani Mokwena (joint managers/head coaches) should have been declared the winners instead. Notably, Steve Komphela is in the role of senior coach at Sundowns which is an unusual setup in the PSL. The coach of the season award is often awarded to the coach that wins the PSL title.

Other critics felt the Sundowns duo was 'robbed' of the award given that they finished 13 points above McCarthy's AmaZulu who secured the Caf Champions League slot by finishing second - their best ever position in the top-flight. Others also felt the coach enjoyed massive resources pumped by Sandile Zungu and thus his road to second place was made even smoother.

However, he received support too, as many felt the South African's achievements during the short period are worth celebrating for he only lost two games at AmaZulu. McCarthy also joined Usuthu when they were in a serious struggle before assisting in stabilising them and dramatically negotiating their move upwards.

How fans reacted to McCarthy's PSL award:

Yanga SC have confirmed they have settled their recent problems with three key players Metacha Mnata, Michael Saprong, and Lamine Moro.

The three have not been training with the rest of the team members for the last two weeks for alleged misconduct issues but according to the team’s acting secretary Haji Mfikirwa, they have now been pardoned and allowed to resume training.

What has been said?

“All the players who were implicated in misconduct have been pardoned to continue serving the club after an internal meeting which was held by the management and the trio,” Mfikirwa said as quoted by Daily News.

“As a club, we have internal procedures we follow to solve such cases. People should just know that we have resolved the matter, taking into consideration all the requirements.

“Whenever our player[s] break the set up laws, we refer them to the available code of conduct which state clearly what sort of action should be taken in proportion to the mistake conducted.”

The three players have each missed two Mainland Premier League matches so far but they will now be available for selection when Yanga take on Ruvu Shooting in their next match.

In the absence of keeper Manata, Kenya’s Farou Shikhalo has been starting for Yanga with winger Deus Kaseke taking the armband from Moro.

Meanwhile, the club has admitted they are having issues with their communications department but insist they will work on it soon.

“It is true we have some problems with our communication section but all these setbacks will be resolved when the club will fully embrace transformation,” said the club’s vice-chairman of Registration Committee Hersi Said, as quoted by the same portal.

With five games remaining before ending the season, the Jangwani Street-based club stay put in second place with 61 points after 29 top-flight league meetings.

The return of the players will also be a boost to the team as they prepare to face rivals Simba SC in a rescheduled Kariakoo derby on June 3 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

Gareth Southgate has admitted he "sadly" anticipated further pushback from spectators over England's continued decision to take the knee in protest against racism ahead of their 1-0 friendly win over Romania on Sunday - but vowed that his squad will continue with the gesture.

Following a concentrated chorus of boos during the Three Lions' game against Austria on Wednesday, the 50-year-old firmly backed his side, earning another vocal response from detractors over the weekend.

Speaking afterwards, Southgate acknowledged he expected the continued boos from certain areas of England's support, but that his group have accepted this and remain determined to not yield.

What has been said?

"I sadly sort of expected what happened to happen," the manager told his post-match press conference. "We've accepted that, as a group. It's not going to stop what we are doing and what we believe. It's certainly not going to stop my support for our players and our staff.

"That's it, we are going to have to live with that. We've said what we are going to say now. You're right to ask the question today but moving forward, it is pointless me going into any further detail on it."

Southgate on Rashford captaincy

With Kane not risked ahead of next weekend's tournament opener against Croatia at Wembley, Southgate turned to Rashford to skipper the side, with the Manchester United forward rewarding his faith from the penalty spot.

"Well, the captaincy really, by far he was our most experienced international player in terms of caps and we felt that would be the right decision," the Three Lions boss added when asked about his choice."He was obviously delighted to get that news this morning."

The bigger picture

Southgate will not have learned too much from a pair of scruffy warm-up victories at his old stomping ground of Middlesbrough, but nevertheless will have a clearer idea of who will feature on Sunday when his side face their World Cup vanquishers three years on from Russia 2018.

One name now in contention is Brighton's Ben White, who has been called up as Trent Alexander-Arnold's replacement, ahead of midfiedler James Ward-Prowse and the attacking duo of Jesse Lingard and Ollie Watkins.

Further reading

Didier Deschamps has hit back at Jose Mourinho for his comments on France being favourites at Euro 2020, claiming "I thought the same thing about his Tottenham team".

France are being tipped to go all the way at the European Championships, having reached the final in 2016 before becoming World Champions in Russia two years later.

Ex-Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs boss Mourinho attempted to put extra pressure on Les Bleus when discussing their strength in depth last week, prompting Deschamps to swipe back with a jibe about his ill-fated spell in north London.

What did Mourinho say?

Mourinho told The Sun of the weight of expectation France will be carrying at the summer tournament: "I cannot see any weakness. If I had to say one team to win it, I will say them - because the group of players is fantastic.

"They have to win it. If not, it is an unsuccessful Euros."

Deschamps' response

Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham in April after just 18 months in the role, having failed to deliver a single piece of silverware or Champions League football.

Deschamps reference the 58-year-old's time at Spurs when quizzed on his remarks by Telefoot, before outlining the way his team will cope with the pressure when the international tournament kicks off.

"I thought the same thing about his Tottenham team, but it did not end up happening like that," he said. "Yes, we are favourites due to the status of world champions. It is not a pressure, it is the reality, we will not flee the debate on the presence of France among the favourites of this Euro.

“Obviously, I have a very important attacking potential, but it’s not just that. There is a balance to be found, through adjustments. I hope to have the ball as much as possible, but there are times when we won’t have it, and we will have to keep our strength."

Who will France play in the group stage?

France have a final warm-up game to take in against Bulgaria on Monday before they switch their attention to their Group F opener against Germany on June 15.

Deschamps' men are due to take on Hungary four days later before completing their pool schedule with a repeat of the 2016 final against holders Portugal.

Further reading

India are all set to take on Bangladesh in a 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualification match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Monday. 

This will be the fifth time that India's ace striker Sunil Chhetri will be facing Inid in his illustrious and long international career. 

Chhetri, who is India’s all-time highest goalscorer with 72 goals has faced Bangladesh only four times in the past and has scored three goals. 

The last time, the talismanic striker was on target for the Blue Tigers against Bangladesh was back in 2014 in an international friendly in Goa where he scored a brace in a 2-2 draw. 

The previous encounter between India and Bangladesh was in 2019 in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The match ended in a 1-1 draw at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. 

All Sunil Chhetri goals and matches against Bangladesh

How are India doing in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers?

India started their World Cup qualification run with a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of Oman at home, followed by a historic goalless draw against Asian champions Qatar in Doha. In their third and fourth matches, the Blue Tigers managed 1-1 draws against both Bangladesh and Afghanistan and then they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Oman away from home.

They resume their campaign against Qatar on June 3, followed by Bangladesh and Afghanistan on June 7 and June 15 respectively. All the matches of India's group are hosted by Qatar.

What happens if India finish fourth or fifth?

If India finish fourth then also they can qualify for the Asian Cup qualifying third round if they finish amongst the four best fourth-placed teams across all groups. The remaining four fourth-placed teams will advance to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.

If India finish fifth in the table, then they will have to participate in the Asian Cup Qualifying play-off round. 

What next for the Indian national team?

India are set to take on Bangladesh next on Monday, June 7, and will finish their campaign with a match against Afghanistan on June 15. India's target will now be to finish third in Group E and avoid a play-off to get into the Asian Cup qualifiers.

Further reading

How many points do India need to finish third

How to watch Bangladesh vs India

England captain Jordan Henderson says he is “not too bothered” about missing a penalty in a 1-0 win over Romania.

Marcus Rashford’s 68th-minute spot kick gave the Three Lions victory at the Riverside Stadium.

Henderson, meanwhile, missed from 12 yards after coming off the bench to play his first football since February.

What did he say?

"I was confident but it was a good save, it wasn't a great penalty, a good height for the goalkeeper but I am not too bothered. It would have been nice to cap the comeback off with a goal,” Henderson, who has yet to score for his country, told BBC Radio 5.

"There is excitement, you feel that but this week's training has been really good intensity, the lads have been focussed, professional in the games but we will work on what we need and come the first game we will be ready."

The bigger picture

Henderson was featuring in his first match since turning out for Liverpool in their 2-0 Premier League loss against Everton on February 20.

He is bidding to get back to full fitness in time to feature in England’s Euro 2020 campaign, in which they will face Croatia, Scotland and then the Czech Republic in the group stages.

With that in mind, the 45 minutes he played against Romania were a useful exercise in regaining fitness.

“I’m feeling very good, to get back onto the pitch was pleasing for me. I came through 45 minutes after a while out so happy with that and felt pretty good as well during the game,” he said.

“Delighted with that and have another week's training until the first game so hopefully I can recover well.

“I didn't need to take any risks with the Austria friendly, I have been training hard with the England team and did not feel 100% going into that game. We thought the wisest thing to do was to get ready for the Romania game and I felt good and it was important. Overall, the right decision. I am getting stronger all the time.”

England will play Croatia at Wembley on Sunday, June 13.

Further Reading

Argentina have confirmed their participation in the Copa America amid controversy over the tournament's late relocation to Brazil.

Previously planned to be co-hosted by Argentina and Colombia, the competition was moved from the South American nations because of rising Covid cases and political unrest, respectively.

Brazil, however, has its own Covid problems, which has led members of the Selecao to speak out against hosting the football event on short notice. But it now appears Argentina players are unwilling to join their on-field rivals in protesting CONMEBOL's decision.

What has been said?

"The Argentine National Team confirms its participation in the Copa America 2021, as reflected by its sporting spirit throughout its history," wrote the AFA in a statement. 

"With a huge effort from the Argentine Football Association, which placed at everyone’s disposal all the necessary tools available to guarantee each of the specific care requested in this difficult time we are going through, the National Team will travel to Brazil to play the continental tournament.

"All the staff of the Albiceleste team will work together to overcome this adversity that, unfortunately, affects all South Americans equally."

Bigger picture

There is potential drama yet to unfold that could rattle Copa America plans, as the Selecao have said they will communicate their official stance on the tournament after facing Paraguay in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday. Given their reservations about the tournament, it's reportedly possible that some of their players could refuse to play.

But not having Argentina behind them would be a blow for Brazilian players if they do intend to stage a boycott, and the AFA statement takes the competition one step closer to actually happening this month despite all of the drama.

Further reading

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi claims that Neymar did not want to return to Barcelona in 2019, despite widespread rumours at the time.

Neymar joined PSG in 2017 but was thought to be discontent initially after making a world-record €222 million (£198m/$263m) switch to the Parisian side, who triggered a release clause in his contract.

The Brazil star recently signalled his contentment in the French capital by signing a new deal that runs until 2025, and Al-Khelaifi claims that he never wanted to go.

What was said?

“Barcelona always wanted to get Neymar back, it’s no secret,” Al-Khelaifi told L'Equipe. “But did Neymar want to go? No.

“It’s true that his adaption to Paris and France was still incomplete, but call him and he will tell you how happy and fulfilled he is today.

“As I said at the time, I don’t want players to do us a favour by signing for PSG. I want players who are proud to defend our colours. The club is above any player, whoever they are. We want players who fight, who give everything they have, who want to stay here.

“I regularly read rumours like ‘this player wants to leave’ and wonder how such fake news can come out.”

Neymar contract negotiations

Al-Khelaifi addressed Neymar’s recent new deal and explained why it took longer than expected to thrash out.

“It wasn’t difficult to deal with Neymar,” he said. “I’m convinced he’s one of the best players in the world.

“If it took so long, it’s because the health crisis hampered discussions. I never had the slighted doubt he would extend – even if Barcelona tried to recruit Neymar until the end.

“Obviously, we declined. I believe this club have some economic problems, but that’s none of our business.

“Neymar believes in our project, he loves the club, the city, the supporters.

“He’s totally invested and still wants to win a lot of trophies here.

“I’m proud of the relationship we’ve built and he’s told me he wants to end his career at PSG.”

Further Reading

Algeria defeated Mali 1-0 in Sunday’s international friendly played at Blida’s Stade Mustapha Tchaker.

Riyad Mahrez’s second-half effort separated both teams as the Desert Foxes and Eagles stepped up preparations for their 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

Heading into the encounter, the North Africans had gone on a run of nine games without defeats in all competitions.

For Mohamed Magassouba’s men, they faced the reigning African champions fuelled by a 3-0 triumph over Chad their last time out.

In the keenly contested affair, Algeria dominated every department of the game, nonetheless, they were unable to peg down the West Africans who featured majorly foreign-based professionals in their starting XI.

Nonetheless, the first 45 minutes ended in a 0-0 draw.

Djamel Belmadi’s men stepped up their game in the second half and that paid off in the 56th minutes as Mahrez put them ahead thanks to an assist from 29-year-old Youcef Belaili.

Receiving a cross from the Qatar based striker, the Manchester City star beat the offside trap before lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Djigui Diarra who came off his line.

That goal proved to be the decider as Mali lament their inability to convert the few chances that came their way.

After featuring for 85 minutes, Mahrez was substituted for West Ham United's Said Benrahma.

Whereas, Al-Sadd's Baghdad Bounedjah, Borussia Monchengladbach's Ramy Bensebaini and Al Ettifaq's Rais M'Bolhi were in action from start to finish.

Belmadi’s side would be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to 11 when they tackle Tunisia on Thursday night. For Mali, they would be aiming to return to winning ways on the same day against Congo DR.

After their friendly against the Carthage Eagles, Mahrez and his teammates will lock horns with Burundi in their last June fixture.

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations champions will resume international football in August when they face Djibouti in a World Cup qualification fixture.

Zoned in Group A alongside Burkina Faso and Niger Republic, Algeria would be eyeing their fifth World Cup appearance in Qatar.

Their last outing at the quadrennial football showpiece was at Brazil 2014 when they crashed out in the Round of 16 after bowing 2-1 to eventual champions, Germany.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has said that “all great players” want to join the club, but he has refused to discuss a move regarding Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

Messi, out of contract with Barcelona, has long been linked with a switch to the Ligue 1 side amid the Catalans’ financial difficulties.

Although the Argentine appears closer to an extension with Barca than ever before in the last year, no deal has yet been concluded and there remains the prospect of a switch to the Parc des Princes club.

What did he say?

“Messi is at the end of his contract and all clubs have the right to talk to him and recruit him for next season,” Al-Khelaifi told L’Equipe. “What I can tell you, and you can believe me, is that all great players want to come to PSG.

“All – just to be clear, I’m not saying that to answer you on Messi. It’s not possible to sign them all, since we have great players too.

“And Messi is Messi, a fantastic player.”

The bigger picture

Messi, meanwhile, will have to take a substantial pay cut regardless of his future destination, but particularly if he stays at Barcelona, where the club is more than a €1 billion in debt.

PSG may be able to offer Messi more terms, but reports suggest he is more interested in the sporting project and having the possibility of winning the Champions League again before he retires.

PSG on Financial Fair Play

Al-Khelaifi noted that Financial Fair Play in its current form is impractical in the midst of the current financial crisis caused by Covid-19.

“Everyone knows that clubs are going to lose money,” he said. “Honestly, with the health crisis, the rules of FFP are untenable. Football around the world has lost around $8 billion.

“FFP should not prevent investment. Do we want people to put money into football or other sports? I want them to invest in our sport.

“We need to change the rules of FFP and UEFA must work on it.”

Further Reading

Germany won the Under-21s European Championship on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Portugal.

A 49th-minute strike from Manchester City forward Lukas Nmecha proved all Die Mannschaft needed to secure their third U21 trophy.

The group has now secured the Euro crown in two of the past three tournaments, only falling short in 2019 when Spain earned a narrow 2-1 win.

Germany 1-0 Portugal

Despite crisp passing and neat skills in the midfield, Portugal failed to deliver the necessary end product in the final third, recording only one shot on target to Germany's six.

Nmecha dribbled around goalkeeper Diogo Costa to score early in the second half. The 22-year-old, who came up through the England youth system before switching his allegiance, most recently spent a season on loan at Anderlecht, scoring 14 goals in 31 league appearances.

As Portugal pressed for a late equaliser, their defence became increasingly exposed, and they nearly conceded a second goal when Karim Adeyemi outmuscled his man before sprinting clear on goal. Rather than squaring a ball for his team-mate, though, Adeyemi went for goal and was blocked by Costa.

Still, Die Mannschaft managed to hold on to their slim advantage to clinch their Euro triumph.

What has been said?

"What we have done here again, unbelievable," said Germany midfielder Niklas Dorsch to Pro7. "It will be celebrated that way. Tomorrow those responsible will be responsible for getting me to the plane.

"We are European champions. That’s so awesome!"

Further reading

Kenneth Omeruo’s Leganes have failed to secure promotion to La Liga following Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat to Rayo Vallecano.

A second-half brace from Bebe and strike from Alvaro Garcia saw the Cucumber Growers bow 3-0 in the play-off’s first leg at the Estadio de Vallecas.

Heading into the second leg, they needed to overturn their three-goal deficit to fancy stand a chance of returning to Spain’s elite division.

However, they ended up on the losing side despite taking an early lead against Andoni Iraola’s team.

With just 11 minutes into the showdown, Rober Ibanez put them ahead thanks to an assist from Jonathan Silva.

Profiting from a cross from the Argentine defender, the Osasuna loanee unleashed a first-time effort past goalkeeper Luca Zidane.

Leganes dominated the ball possession throughout the first 45 minutes, albeit, they were unable to get more goals owing to profligacy in front of goal.

That dominance continued in the second half – leaving the Red Sashes to put up a resolute defending.

Their hopes of scoring two more goals vanished into thin air as the visiting side levelled matters in the 67th minute.

While trying to clear an in-swinging free-kick, Sergio Gonzalez headed the ball into his own net.

Even at the setback, they stayed positive attacking in their numbers, but it was Rayo Vallecano that increased their lead through Andres Martin in the 80th minute.

The substitute put the ball beyond goalkeeper Asier Riesgo after he was teed up by Spanish forward Isi Palazon.

Moroccan forward Yacine Qasmi was handed a starter’s role by the visitors, albeit, he was substituted in the 58th minutes for Martin.

On the other hand, Nigeria international Omeruo was in action from start to finish for Asier Garitano’s side.

Following Leganes’ failure to achieve promotion after their demotion to the second tier after the 2019-20 campaign, the 27-year-old defender will be left to reflect on his football future.

In the just-concluded season, the former ADO Den Haag and Alanyaspor man featured in 25 league games with a goal to his credit.

That was achieved in his team's 2-1 triumph over Umar Sadiq's Almeria on February 17, 2021.

Premier League winner Christian Fuchs has become the fifth player to join MLS expansion club Charlotte FC ahead of their inaugural season in 2022.

The 35-year-old fullback has signed a one-year deal with the club with the option for a further year.

Fuchs, who has captained Austria while earning 78 caps for his country, made nine appearances for Leicester this season, having been a part of the Foxes' famous title-winning team.

What did Fuchs have to say?

“I’m impressed with Charlotte FC’s vision for building a successful team,” Fuchs said. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to build upon the pillars of progressive, collective and ambitious that are already ingrained in the Queen City.

"Alongside a diverse staff who make up this club, we can lean on the soccer community from all over the world to create even more of a competitive and hardworking CLTFC family. I look forward to starting from day one to help make Charlotte FC a winning club.”

A move years in the making

Fuchs has had his eyes on a move to MLS for years as the defender has called New York his second home for some time.

The Austrian's wife and two kids live full-time in America, with Fuchs now able to join them stateside as he prepares for his move to Charlotte.

“As we continue to add to our Charlotte FC roster, we are proud to welcome Christian to the club. He is an experienced and proven leader, who has played consistently at a very high level,” Charlotte FC sporting director Zoran Krneta said in a statement.

“As a versatile defender who can cover several positions in our defense, Christian will have an integral role in building a competitive team from the beginning.”

The squad so far

Fuchs is Charlotte's fifth signing as they prepare for their first season in MLS.

He is joined by Spanish midfielder Sergio Ruiz, Australian starlet Riley McGree, MLS veteran Brandt Bronico and Polish youngster Jan Sobocinski as the club moves towards its first preseason in January.

Further reading

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa believed there is room for improvement despite Cameroon’s 1-0 victory over Nigeria in an international friendly on Friday.

The Fulham midfielder scored the only goal that condemned the Super Eagles to their first defeat against the Indomitable Lions since 2000.

Notwithstanding the victory, Anguissa has urged his side to work on their shortcomings when they face the three-time African champions in the second outing on Tuesday.

"It was a very good game. We wanted to win against one of our legendary rivals,” Anguissa said as per Camfoot.

"It went well, because in the end we come back with a victory. But I think there is still room for improvement; we will try to learn from our mistakes to win more games".

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr had already expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the game as it afforded him to try new players.

“The most important thing is that we have been able to see some new players because this is just a test match, and it was interesting to see some new players because we missed about seven key players,” Rohr told the media.

“We managed the game well and I think we had 17 shots on goal while they had only three, including one on target and that was the goal.

“Our domination was not realistic enough though we had the chance to score in the early minutes. This is what you get when you don’t take your opportunities.

“But I still saw some interesting things because we were able to integrate some new players and three of them played for the first time as Super Eagles.

“The importance of friendly games is to learn, see new interesting things and test new players,”

Nigeria will take on Mexico in another international friendly on July 4 ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Liberia and Cape Verde Islands in August and September respectively.

The Super Eagles have already sealed their place in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to be hosted by Cameroon.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has said that Kylian Mbappe will not be allowed to leave the club.

Real Madrid are interested in the PSG star, who is out of contract in 2022 but face a difficult challenge signing him due to the finances involved.

Furthermore, the Ligue 1 runners-up are adamant that the World Cup winner is going nowhere.

What’s been said?

“I’ll be clear, Kylian is going to stay with PSG. We’re never going to sell him and he’ll never leave for free,” Al-Khelaifi told L’Equipe.

“I never give details to the media about ongoing negotiations. All I can say it that it’s progressing well. I hope we’ll find common ground.

“It’s Paris, it’s his country. He has a mission, not just to be a football player, but to promote Ligue 1, his country and his capital.

“He is a fantastic boy, as a person and as an athlete. He’ll win the Ballon d’Or in years to come, I’m 100% sure.

“He has everything he needs to extend here. Where can he go? Which club in terms of ambition and project can compete with PSG today?”

PSG ready to meet Mbappe’s expectations

Claims that Mbappe wants to see how ambitious PSG are before signing a new deal were not denied by Al-Khelaifi.

“If he expects guarantees on the quality of the team? If he says that, he wants to win and that's not a bad thing,” he said. “We are ambitious too. But if he wants to decide who to recruit or not, that is not possible. I repeat, he's a great boy, I'm sure he says that because he wants a better team to win the Champions League.”

Further Reading