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Simba SC claimed a 3-1 win over Dodoma Jiji FC at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Tuesday to open a four-point gap on top of the Tanzania Mainland League table.

Chris Mugalu (two) and Luis Miquissone scored for the reigning champions with Cleophace Mkandala scoring the visitors' first-half equaliser.

It took the 21-time champions just eight minutes to punish the debutants. The ball was passed to Rally Bwalya on the left and the winger crossed to Mugalu who had no problem scoring. 

Dodoma equalised in the 28th minute when Aishi Manula fumbled the ball from a corner and Mkandala was in the right place to punish him and ensure the teams went into the half-time break tied.

Miquissone, who was making a return to the team after missing the win over Gwambina through suspension, initiated a move in the 55th minute, playing a one-two with Zambian Clatous Chama before scoring Mnyama's second.

Chama was at it again in the 68th minute, this time around setting up the unmarked Mugalu, who did not hesitate to score his eighth goal of the season. It was Chama's 13th assist for the champions this campaign.

Simba now have 61 points from the 25 matches played, while Dodoma remain sixth on the log with 38 points from 28 matches.

Meanwhile, bottom-placed Mwadui pulled off a surprise after defeating their hosts Gwambina FC 2-1.

The debutants were keen on bouncing back from their 1-0 loss to Mnyama and came into the match as favourites. 

It seemed everything was going according to plan when the hosts opened the scoring in the 56th minute through Meshack Abraham, who was scoring his ninth goal of the season.

The Shinyanga-based charges had to wait until the 82nd minute to get to level terms. The unmarked Roshwa Rashid capitalised on poor defending to hit the back of the net.

Mohamed Kassim completed the comeback with five minutes to go, striking the ball from outside the 18-yard area after an excellent build-up.

Simba XI: Aishi Manula (GK), Pascal Wawa, Chris Mugalu, Rally Bwalya, Luis Miquissone, Shomari Kapombe, Mohamed Husseini, Clatous Chama, Erasto Nyoni, Mzamiru Yassin, Kennedy Juma, 

Subs: Beno Kakolanya, Benard Morison, Mohamed Ame, Ibrahim Ajibu, Meddie Kagere, Jonas Mkude, John Bocco

Dodoma Jiji XI: Peter Manyika (GK), George Wawa, Abubakari Ngalema, Justine Bilary, Mbwana Bakari (c), Steven Silvester, Dickson Ambundo, Cleophace Anthony, Anuary Jabiri, Seif Rashid, Jamal Mtegeta.

Subs: Peter Manyiki (GK), Andasony Solomon, Augustino Nsata, Enrick Nkos, Peter Mapunda, Santos Marcelino, Omary Nassoro 

The Kroenke family have dismissed talk that Arsenal are up for sale amid reports that a takeover bid is being prepared for the club.

The Gunners' owners have come under pressure from fans in the fallout from the ill-fated Super League project. 

But despite the uproar, they insist that they are not thinking about leaving the Emirates Stadium.

What was said?

“In recent days we have noted media speculation regarding a potential takeover bid for Arsenal Football Club," Stan and Josh Kroenke signalled in a statement released on Tuesday.

“We remain 100 per cent committed to Arsenal and are not selling any stake in the club. We have not received any offer and we will not entertain any offer.

“Our ambition for Arsenal remains to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game and our focus remains on improving our competitiveness on the pitch to achieve this.”

A management shuffle? 

The weekend saw fierce protests against the Kroenkes' administration of Arsenal, with the club's swift withdrawal from Super League along with the rest of the potential Premier League participants doing nothing to placate supporters' anger. 

And in the midst of the furore, a prospective buyer emerged to place further pressure on the owners. 

Spotify founder Daniel Ek, an Arsenal fan, revealed on Twitter he would be interested in taking over at the Emirates. 

"As a kid growing up, I've cheered for Arsenal as long as I can remember," Ek wrote on the social media platform.

"If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I'd be happy to throw my hat in the ring."

Club legends Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira are said to be considering joining Ek in his venture, although the Kroenkes have shown no intention of wanting to sell their stake. 

Further reading 

Belarusian Women's Premier League club Dinamo-BSUPC have completed the signing of Colette Ndzana, on a one-year deal.

The Belarusian champions handed the Indomitable Lionesses star her first professional contract abroad, bringing an end to her journey with Cameroonian Women's Premier League outfit Eclair.

The 20-year-old helped Cameroon to a silver medal at the 2019 African Games in Morocco and made her senior debut for the Lionesses against Zambia in the Caf Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifiers.

Before then, she has starred as a futsal player, representing Cameroon at Women's Futsal Buenos Aires Youth Olympics 2018. 

Her exit means Eclair has lost another talented player to a European side following the departure of striker Alexandra Takounda, who joined Swedish side Djurgardens this March.

With her signing, the Cameroon international becomes the latest African addition to Dinamo after the recent signing of Nagede Cisse.

Ndzana will also become the fifth African on the books of the club after Cote d'Ivoire Cisse, Cameroon's Claudia Dabda, and Banyana Banyana duo of Rhoda Mulaudzi and Lebogang Ramalepe.

She will be eager to hit the ground running in Belarus as Dinamo aim to retain the domestic titles and excel in the Champions League.

If cleared administratively in good time, she is likely to make her professional debut on European soil when Dinamo face off with domestic rivals Minsk in the first derby of the season on April 29.

The maiden WAFU-B Women's Champions League will be held in Abidjan, the West African Football Union has confirmed to Goal.

The first-ever regional women's club competition is scheduled to be played from July 15 to 30 and will serve as the qualifying tournament for the Caf Women's Champions League finals in November.

With eight teams to play in the finals, two teams will qualify from the WAFU zone B, after Caf offered an extra slot to the region due to Nigeria being holders of the Africa Women's Cup of Nations.

Six teams are due to take part in the qualifiers in Cote d'Ivoire, including Benin Republic, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria and Burkina Faso.

However, WAFU-B general secretary Balima Boureima said no official confirmation from Caf has been received yet on the participating women's teams, while confirming the venue and date of the competition.

"I can confirm to you that the WAFU-B qualifier will be hoping from  July 15 to 30 in Abidjan," Boureima told Goal.

"I expect representatives from the seven countries in the zone to participate but we are waiting for all the official names of the submitted and approved clubs before posting by the Caf."

Nigeria has confirmed Rivers Angels as their representatives, after their triumph at the just concluded NWFL Super Six in Ijebu Ode.

Elsewhere, Ghana had earlier settled on Hasaacas Ladies FC as the country’s sole representative base on winning the GFA Normalization Special Competition in 2019.

As it stands, the eventual two finalists at the zonal tournament will qualify for the inaugural Caf Women’s Champions League, whose host is yet to be decided although Morocco has been rumoured as a possibility.

Leicester defender Wesley Fofana has thanked Crystal Palace for allowing him to break his Ramadan fast during the first half of Monday’s Premier League game between the sides.

During the month of Ramadan, many Muslims abstain from eating or drinking during daylight hours.

Monday’s game kicked off during daylight but the game was paused after 30 minutes following sunset to allow Fofana and Crystal Palace defender Cheikhou Kouyate to take in some water and energy gels on the side of the pitch.

What did Fofana say?

It was agreed in the pre-game captain’s meeting that the match be paused when there was a natural break in play after sunset.

That occurred when the ball went out for a goal kick around the half-hour mark, with Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita delaying taking the kick so Fofana and Kouyate could take on some fluids and energy gels.

It is believed to be the first time a Premier League game has been paused to allow Muslim players to break their fast after sunset during Ramadan.

“Just wanted to thank the Premier League as well as Crystal Palace, Vicente Guaita and all the Foxes for allowing me to break my fast tonight in the middle of the game,” Fofana wrote on Twitter.

“That's what makes football wonderful.”

Fofana only played 60 minutes against West Brom last week before being substituted, with Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers revealing after the game that he took the defender off to protect his welfare as he was fasting.

However, the 20-year-old was able to complete the full 90 minutes on Monday, with Leicester winning 2-1 to boost their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Why do Muslims fast during Ramadan?

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, so all adult Muslims are expected to fast during Ramadan to show their devotion to their religion and Allah.

The exact dates change each year because it is based on a lunar calendar, with this year’s Ramadan taking place between the evening of April 12 and the evening of May 12.

The end of Ramadan is marked by the festival of Eid al-Fitr, or 'festival of the breaking of the fast', where friends and families traditionally gather together to feast and pray.

Further reading

Swallows FC extended their unbeaten run to seven matches in the PSL when they drew 1-1 with SuperSport United at Dobsonville Stadium.

The Beautiful Birds were hoping to bounce back to winning ways after drawing 1-1 with Orlando Pirates in the original Soweto Derby clash on Saturday.

While Matsatsantsa were desperate to snap their eight-match winless run, having drawn 1-1 with Black Leopards on Saturday in their previous game. 

SuperSport created better chances than the hosts in the first half as Sipho Mbule was denied by Swallows goalkeeper Virgil Vries, and Moses Waiswa scuffed a cutback pass from close range.

However, it was the hosts who opened the scoring when an unmarked Fawaaz Basadien headed home Lebohang Mokoena’s cross to hand Swallows a 1-0 lead in first-half stoppage time.

The visitors surged forward after the restart as they looked level matters and Mbule's thunderous long-range shot was fantastically saved by Namibia international Vries.

Mbule did grab the goal he had been looking for when the Bafana Bafana international headed home a cross from Keenan Philips to make it 1-1 with 12 minutes left.

The late goal ensured that the game ended in a 1-1 draw and the result saw Swallows remain fifth on the league standings.

On the other hand, SuperSport, whose coach Kaitano Tembo has stated that they are looking to clinch this season's PSL title, remained sixth on the log - 10 points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

Meanwhile, Maritzburg United boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation to the National First Division by securing a 1-0 win over Stellenbosch FC at Danie Craven Stadium.

Stellies were keen to snap a six-match winless run after drawing 1-1 with Bloemfontein Celtic in their previous game on Saturday.

While the Team of Choice were winless in two matches having drawn 1-1 with Baroka FC in their previous encounter on Friday. 

The two teams failed to find the back of the net in the first half and the only goal of the match came in stoppage time after the visitors were awarded a penalty, with Junior Mendieta having handled the ball in the box.

Thabiso Kutumela stepped up and scored from the spot-kick to seal Maritzburg's 1-0 win as he took his tally to 11 goals in the league for this season.

As a result, Maritzburg remained 13th on the standings, but they are now six points above the relegation zone, while Stellenbosch remained 12th on the log.

Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Neil Tovey was pleased to see Amakhosi show they “can still do it and perform on the big stage” following last weekend’s 2-1 Premier Soccer League win over Mamelodi Sundowns, a victory he believes will motivate them in the Caf Champions League knockout rounds.

While Tovey also says reaching the Champions League last eight could prove to be a mammoth task for the Soweto giants, he is of the opinion the triumph over Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld was of huge significance.

Amakhosi now wait to know their quarter-final opponents in the continent’s premier club competition, and there is a possibility that they could be paired against Masandawana from the draw to be conducted on Friday.

“It’s going to be a tall order, but when it gets to the knockout stages you start doing things in your mind that translates to the pitch,” Tovey told Chiefs’ website.

“Beating Mamelodi Sundowns this weekend was a big morale-boosting win for the club ahead of the Caf Champions League draw this week. It shows the club can still do it and perform on the big stage.”

Chiefs reached the Champions League quarter-finals in their first-ever season participating in the tournament’s group stage.

While struggling on the domestic front, they were given little chance to advance to the knockout phase of the more demanding continental competition.

Tovey urges Amakhosi to maintain "top" concentration levels as they brace for bigger challenges in Africa.

“So, my message to the club and to the players is 'go out and enjoy the occasion and the experience',” continued Tovey.

“Their concentration levels need to be top, top, top, but they need to go out there and do what they know they’re good at and anything is possible.”

Before engaging in Champions League football, Chiefs’ immediate worry now is Wednesday’s home league match against Chippa United at FNB Stadium.

They go into that match smarting from the win over Sundowns and face a side trying to avoid relegation.

Chippa are second-from-bottom, just three points better off than basement side Black Leopards.

The fact that Amakhosi face a relegation-haunted side is also a threat to their top-eight ambitions.

Uganda Revenue Authority FC have opened a four-point gap at the top of the Ugandan Premier League table following a 2-0 win against Mbarara City on Tuesday.

A goal in each half from Brian Majwega and Shafik Kagimu ensured the Tax Collectors picked up their first-ever win over the Ankole Lions in six attempts at the Arena of Visions in Ndejje.

It was Majwega who put the Sam Ssimbwa-led side into the lead with only ten minutes played after he stepped up to convert from the penalty spot, sending Mbarara goalkeeper Steve Elungat in the wrong direction.

The Tax Collectors, who had gone for two straight matches without getting a win, could have added the second in the 34th minute but Kagimu’s header hit the woodwork and his effort from the rebound went inches wide.

URA went into the half-time break enjoying a 1-0 lead and after the start of the second half, they continued to pile pressure for more goals and it was no surprise when Kagimu made it 2-0 in the 61st minute, slotting home a pass from second-half substitute Ivan Sserubiri.

They could have been 3-0 up three minutes later as Joackiam Ojera whipped a superb ball into the danger zone but Ibrahim Dada’s header was deflected out by a Mbarara City defender for a fruitless corner kick.

Despite a late surge by Mbarara to break down URA, the score remained 2-0, allowing the Tax Collectors to pick up their first even win against the Ankole Lions in the top-flight.

The win also enabled URA to stretch their total at the summit to 47 points, four more than second-placed Vipers SC, who have 43 points but with a game in hand, while Express FC are third with 40 points.

In another match, SC Villa failed to use home-ground advantage to the maximum as they settled for a 1-1 draw against BUL FC at Bombo Military Grounds while Busoga United and UPDF FC settled played out a 0-0 draw.

Elsewhere, Kitara FC produced a late rally to beat Kyetume FC  4-2 in another clash.

The German Football Association (DFB) has confirmed it will open talks with Hansi Flick about succeeding Joachim Low as national team coach.

Low will step down following this summer's European Championship after 15 years in the role.

It was revealed earlier this month that Flick will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, with Julian Nagelsmann already confirmed as his replacement.

What did the DFB say about Flick?

In a statement to SID, the DFB said: "It is well known that Hansi Flick is held in high regard by the DFB. We can confirm that, against this background, we will now hold talks with him and those responsible at FC Bayern."

The DFB added that "we are currently not going to comment on the further procedure, which we will initially coordinate internally with all parties involved with all due care and calm."

The bigger picture

Flick was quickly installed as the favourite to take the Germany job as soon as Low confirmed his intention to step down later this summer. The 56-year-old spent eight years as Low's assistant before becoming DFB sporting director after their triumph at the 2014 World Cup.

He was initially reticent to comment publicly on his future despite the speculation, before eventually confirming his intention to quit Bayern at the end of the season earlier this month despite having two years remaining on his contract.

With a deal for Nagelsmann now confirmed by Bayern, the path is clear for the DFB to pursue their interest in Flick.

However, with the DFB making it clear they will not pay any kind of compensation fee for their new coach, some serious negotiations may need to take place before a deal is done.

Further reading

Former Uruguay captain Diego Lugano believes that had Lionel Messi been born on the northern banks of the Rio de la Plata, Uruguay would have strolled to back-to-back World Cup glory. 

Messi has competed in four World Cups for Argentina, falling once at the last-16 stage, twice in the quarters and, in 2014, battling through to the final where the Albiceleste lost out to Germany. 

But if he had Uruguay's famously ferocious and committed stars at his back, Lugano argues, the story would have been very different. 

What was said? 

"If Messi were playing for Uruguay in that 2010 World Cup, we would have won it," Lugano, who made 95 appearances for the Celeste as a hard-tackling centre-back before hanging up his boots following Brazil 2014, told students of the TEA Journalism School in Buenos Aires. 

"And if Messi were Uruguayan in Brazil and Luis Suarez had not been kicked out, we would have won that too." 

The bigger picture

Lugano was involved in both the South Africa and Brazil campaigns for Uruguay, captaining the nation on each occasion. 

In 2010 Oscar Tabarez's men fought through to the semi-finals, where they lost out in a thrilling 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands. 

Four years later, the Celeste beat out Italy and England to finish second in a group that contained three previous World Cup winners. 

In the process, however, Suarez performed his infamous bite on Giorgio Chiellini and missed Uruguay's last-16 clash as the Celeste fell 2-0 to Colombia. 

Lugano's men do boast one achievement that has eluded Messi: Copa America glory, sealed in 2011 in Argentina after dumping the holders out on penalties in the last eight.

The two Rioplatense rivals will next meet on June 17 in the 2021 Copa America, at Cordoba's Estadio Mario Kempes.

Further reading 

Ismaila Sarr has called on Watford to strive to do well when the 2021-2022 Premier League gets underway.

The fleet-footed forward played a key role as the Hornets returned to the English top-flight after only a season in the EFL Championship.

Sarr scored 13 goals and provided 10 assists in 39 league appearances this campaign so far, amid other dazzling displays.

The 23-year-old is no stranger to the Premier League after his debut campaign in the 2019-20 season and has urged to do all it takes to perform well next term.

“I’m very happy now. The past is the past, it’s behind us. Now we have to look forward and come back and make sure we do well in the Premier League next season,” Sarr told the club website.

“I hope we can do well, and I also hope I can do better in the Premier League than I did this season. The only way to do so is to take our rest once the season is over and then come back and start working again and pushing as much as we can.”

Sarr’s penalty ensured Watford secured a 1-0 victory over Millwall last time out, a result which confirmed their return to the Premier League.

The winger believes their success was a result of their collective effort and praised the manager, staff, and his teammates for the feat.

“I just decided I wanted to take the penalty. It’s not the first time I’ve played football and it’s not the first time I’ve gone for a penalty,” he continued.

“I’m very happy, and everyone is happy as well, because everyone did such a great job, from the players to the manager and the staff behind the scenes.

“I didn’t win anything. The whole team won. I just tried to do my job, creating dangerous situations and scoring goals. The reality is there’s been an effort from the whole group.

“Yes [it’s one of my career highlights] but we can still do better. The league is not finished, and we still have two games to go, so we have to carry on.”

Watford will take on third-placed Brentford in their next Championship game on May 1 and the Senegal international will be expected to continue his impactful showings.

Former Chelsea midfielder Geremi Njitap believes Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is the best in the world, irrespective of his performance in the 2020-21 Champions League campaign.

The French tactician has won a number of laurels since he delved into management after his retirement as a player, including clinching the top European competition three times.

Geremi, who played along with Zidane at Santiago Bernabeu during his playing career, has praised the 48-year-old for his achievements in management.

 “Zidane is a guy who loves what he is doing and only he can decide what he wants to do,” Geremi told Radio Marca.

“If Zidane wins another Champions League it is something we have never seen before, but even if he does not win it, he is still the best coach in the world.

“When you see Zidane’s career as a coach, you see he has only a few years, but so many titles. His percentage is the best, he is young, but with many titles. No one has ever done that before.

"As we both speak French, I helped Zidane a lot in his adaptation. He is a very shy guy, he had a great experience playing and now he shows that, if you work, you can go where you want."

Geremi won two Champions League titles and La Liga with Real Madrid, as well as the Premier League with Chelsea, and as both sides face off in the Champions League semi-final first-leg on Tuesday night, the 42-year-old hopes the best team wins.

“Chelsea or Madrid? I can't choose, I want both of them to win ... it's mom or dad. Let the best one take it," he continued.

Geremi started his career with Racing Bafoussam and also played for Cerro Porteno, and Genclerbirligi before joining Real Madrid.

The former midfielder starred for Chelsea, Newcastle United, Ankaragucu and Superleague Greece club AE Larissa before he called time on his illustrious career.

After his retirement, he chose to use his wealth of experience to help footballers in Africa and he is currently the vice-president of the world players union.

"When I finished my career I wanted to do something for football and I decided to work for footballers in Africa, where the players have it much more difficult than in Europe," he concluded.

Geremi had 118 appearances for Cameroon before his retirement from international duty in 2010.

Riyad Mahrez has spoken out on his future at Manchester City while also revealing the most difficult moment of his career to date.

Mahrez has built on his reputation as one of the top wingers in the Premier League since completing a big-money move to the Etihad Stadium from Leicester in 2018.

The Algeria international has won the league title at City while also lifting the FA Cup and three Carabao Cups, and is only focused on their present pursuit of more major silverware despite approaching the final two years of his contract.

What's been said?

Asked if he plans to stay at the Etihad beyond the expiration of his current deal in 2023, Mahrez told a press conference on Tuesday: "I don't really think about this, I'm good here at Man City, I love the club, everyone around it, I love the city.

"I concentrate on the team and trying to win things together and we'll see."

Mahrez's Champions League regret

The most testing period of Mahrez's City career so far came when they suffered a surprise quarter-final defeat to Lyon in the Champions League last season.

Pep Guardiola's side ended up finishing the campaign with only the League Cup to show for their efforts, but the 30-year-old is hoping they can go all the way in Europe this time around after booking a semi-final date with Paris Saint-Germain.

"It was a big disappointment last season when we lost the Champions League," Mahrez added ahead of the first leg at Parc des Princes in midweek. 

'The problem is when we lost we went straight on holiday, so you're very disappointed and then you just have to think about next season and try to refocus.

"The seasons before we had to stay focused to win the league. I think last season was the biggest disappointment of my career to not go through to the semi-final and beat Lyon.

"It helped us a lot this season because we were so, so determined to go through. Obviously the last seasons as well but this year we had those experiences and I think we were much better."

What else did Mahrez say?

Mahrez also reserved some special words of praise for Guardiola, insisting he has earned his status as one of the best coaches in world football over the course of his illustrious career in management.

"He's done a lot of things for football," said the City star. "He deserves to be praised this way, we know how important he is for us. It's very good to hear these things.

"It's normal, he tries to help us a lot for the games, tactically he helps us a lot. He tries to give us all the good advice for the games, about the opponent we play. When we arrive at the games we are ready and know what to do."

Further reading

Ghana international Gideon Mensah has revealed a breach of non-disclosure agreement ended his potential move to Barcelona in 2019.

In one of the most famous Ghana transfer failures in recent times, the left-back was widely reported to be close to sealing a deal with the Spanish giants until the last hour when everything mysteriously fell apart.

No official communication came from Barcelona nor Mensah and his camp after the fiasco.

“He [my former agent] told me that he received a call from Barcelona informing him that they needed a back-up left-back for Jordi Alba because their regular back-up had departed to Monaco," Mensah told Citi Sports.

“If the deal went through I was going to have a first-team contract on loan while I played in the second team. If there was the need I would step in [to the first team] as back-up.

“He spoke to me in the night and the next morning I woke up to the news all over Facebook."

After the collapsed Barcelona move, Mensah, then on the books of Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg, headed for Belgian side Zulte Waregem.

“I called him and questioned him about how the news got out. He was not someone who was familiar with the Ghanaian media so I was in shock," the defender added.

“He denied knowledge of how the news got out. We were supposed to stay underground with the move until it was concluded."

In Belgium, Mensah made 19 league appearances involving 18 starts for Zulte in his one and only season with the side.

His fine performance for the club earned him a maiden Ghana call-up for a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe, making his debut against the former.

Last summer, he joined Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes for whom he has made 19 appearances.

Recent media reports says the former Wafa man will be leaving his current base in search of a new adventure at the end of the current season.

Mamelodi Sundowns custodian Denis Onyango has taken to his social media platforms to appreciate a farewell party organised by some of his close allies in the wake of his retirement from the national team.

The veteran custodian opted to end his national team career after 16 years of service which saw him play in back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Egypt respectively. Before his retirement, the 36-year-old was serving as the Uganda Cranes skipper.

"What a nice surprise it was from some of my friends based in South Africa, teammates from Uganda Cranes and Mamelodi Sundowns [Monday] evening," Onyango posted.

"Thanks for the retirement party. Big thanks to Allan Kateregga, Samuel Celubra, and Moses Waiswa for putting this function together. I absolutely appreciate the love."

The 35-year-old shot-stopper announced his retirement on April 12.

Having amassed over 70 caps with the Cranes since 2005, Onyango announced his retirement exactly two weeks after the East Africans failed to qualify for the 2022 Afcon finals under his captaincy.

Bobby Williamson, who worked with the player during his time as Cranes coach from 2008-2013, went on to state it was a big loss for the team.

"Onyango is a quality goalkeeper who has been very influential for the national team," the Scot told Goal.

"He will be a very big loss; he has great experience and is a very good goalkeeper; his presence will be missed."

However, the 59-year-old believes this is a blessing in disguise for other goalkeepers to show what they have to offer for the East African heavyweights.

"It is a fact, getting an Onyango replacement will not be easy because we all know the quality of the player," Williamson continued.

"But we have goalkeepers who have been yearning for an opportunity to prove their worth. So Onyango's retirement provides a massive chance for them to develop."

The biggest highlight of the Sundowns goalkeeper's time with Uganda was captaining them at the 2019 Afcon where he guided them to the Round of 16.

He joins Hassan Wasswa and Michael Azira who also called time on their international careers.  

Juan Miranda is among those approaching the end of his current contract at Barcelona, but a two-year extension for the promising left-back has been mooted and he will hold future talks with those at Camp Nou in the summer.

The 21-year-old defender has spent the last two seasons outside of Catalunya taking in loan spells at Schalke and Real Betis.

That has seen the academy graduate gain useful experience and the option of triggering a clause in his current deal to take him through to 2023 is being mulled over.

What has been said?

Miranda has told El Desmarque when quizzed on his future plans, with Barca - as they are with Lionel Messi - reluctant to see talented performers hit free agency: "It's not the moment to think about that.

"Barca and Betis will talk when the moment is right, probably at the end of the season. Right now I am only interested in helping Betis qualify for Europe. 

"When the league finishes, we can talk."

The bigger picture

It has been suggested that Barca will extend Miranda's deal with them before sanctioning another season-long spell at Betis.

That option could appeal to the Spain U21 international as he is eager to see regular game time at an important stage of his development.

He added: "I am young and I need to play minutes. 

"We want to get into Europe in these final games, which is good for me and the club, and the three parties will make a decision after the season."

Miranda, who has been linked with Juventus in the past , has taken in 21 appearances for Betis across all competitions this season.

He has helped them to reach sixth spot in the Liga table, with five games remaining for them to wrap up qualification for the 2021-22 Europa League.

Further reading