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On-loan Arsenal defender William Saliba seems to have taken something of a dig at manager Mikel Arteta, suggesting that he should have been offered more of an opportunity at his parent club.

Saliba completed a loan move to Ligue 1 side Nice earlier this week and made his debut in a 2-0 defeat against Brest on Wednesday.

It was his first competitive action in almost a year, and though he signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2019, he has yet to feature for the club, having spent last season on loan with Saint-Etienne.

Arteta has claimed that he lacks first-team football, but Saliba has argued that is not the case.

“The coach immediately told me that I was not ready. I would have at least liked to have had a chance to rediscover my rhythm,” he told the media on Friday.

“My first six months were difficult, because I was coming from six months where I wasn’t able to train because I was at home and couldn’t train outside, couldn’t play.

“I arrived there as they were finishing the league season, so I was training alone. As soon as they came back from holidays, we quickly had the first friendly matches where I lacked rhythm and was a bit insufficient physically.”

Meanwhile, he has not ruled out a prolonged stay at Nice, with a suggestion that his loan deal could be extended from six to 18 months.

“I have signed a six-month contract. After these six months we will see what happens. But for now I have signed for six months, I am going to give my all, and then we will see,” he explained.

Additionally, he is confident of rediscovering his best level back in Ligue 1.

“What’s for sure is that I was coming from Arsenal U23s, and what is for sure is that the rhythm at professional level and U23 level is not the same,” he explained. “I wanted to play and I trained so hard at Arsenal, that’s why the coach put me in directly on Wednesday. But certainly I had not played for a while and that has done me good.

“Even though I’m young, I’ve come to be a leader.”

Nice’s next match comes in Ligue 1 on Saturday versus Metz.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes his decision to block a move away for Rob Holding last summer has been vindicated.

The Arsenal defender was close to joining Newcastle - who the Gunners play on Saturday in the FA Cup third round - only for Arteta to pull the plug on the potential loan deal.

Holding has gone on to make 18 appearances in all competitions this season and has started 13 of Arsenal’s 17 league games, including all of the last seven.

He has formed an excellent partnership alongside Pablo Mari in recent weeks, helping the Gunners to consecutive clean sheets in the league for the first time since the start of the campaign.

Arteta praised the 25-year-old for the way he has battled back to form since returning from the knee injury he suffered against Manchester United, which kept him sidelined for nearly 10 months.

“He had a period when he did not play and then he played against Leeds at home (an FA Cup match in January 2020),“ said the Arsenal boss. “When you compare how he has evolved from then to now, in a year’s time, it is incredible.

“It is down to him, how professional he is, how much he wants to learn, how much he puts into every training session and then his character and his personality.”

Arteta added: “He is growing in every aspect. I am really happy with him.

“It is true that in the summer he came to me because we had a large amount of central defenders and he was not sure about how many minutes he was going to have.

“We stopped him going anywhere because we knew he was going to be an important player for us.”

Arteta handed Holding the captain’s armband in the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during Arsenal’s Premier League game at Everton before Christmas.

It was another indicator of how highly he rates the former Bolton defender, who is expected to put pen to paper on a new long-term contract before the end of the season.

“It is what I see on a daily basis with him and the room that he still has for improvement at his age,” said Arteta.

“I really like what I see and he has earned that right himself.

“It is true there have been many other conditions for him to play that many minutes because we have injuries, we have other issues, but he has earned that right.

“Nobody can question that when he has played, he has performed really well.”

James Milner has praised the spirit, determination and talent of Aston Villa’s young players despite their 4-1 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool.

Villa had to field a team of U23 and U18 players for Friday’s third round tie  after the entire first-team squad, manager Dean Smith and his first-team coaching staff were forced to self-isolate following an outbreak of Covid-19 at the club’s training ground.

It meant U23 coach Mark Delaney took charge of a youthful side that had an average age of just 18 years and 294 days. Five of the starting XI weren’t even born when 35-year-old Milner made his first ever FA Cup appearance, for Leeds against Scunthorpe in January 2003.

Speaking after the game the veteran Reds player only had words of praise for his beaten opponents.

"A good set of lads, honest, worked hard for each other, quality," he told BT Sport. "They put a shift in – we expected that, we didn't want to take it for granted. In the first half they got the goal to keep playing. We got the result in the end but I think it's not an ideal situation for either team." 

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp unsurprisingly made changes to his team from their last Premier League game, though the starting XI still included the likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson.

It looked set to be a long evening for Villa when Mane gave Liverpool the lead after just four minutes. However, they slowly battled their way back into the game and were rewarded with a stunning equaliser from 17-year-old Louie Barry before half-time.

Klopp looked to be growing increasingly frustrated as Villa continued to hold their own after the break, before their resistance was finally broken on 60 minutes when Gini Wijnaldum found the back of the net with an effort from the edge of the box.

Further goals from Mo Salah and a second of the game from Mane extended Liverpool’s lead as their class and fitness finally told, though the Villa youngsters can hold their heads high after putting in a spirited display.

"I think obviously we needed to do some things better," added Milner. "I think we started pretty well with the counter-pressing and pressed on the ball, but then maybe didn't get it right – especially for the goal [we] let them out of a couple situations in the corner where they shouldn't have got out. 

"They're good players, they're at Aston Villa for a reason. One of their lads said he hadn't played for two months.

"Every single time you're not quite there, you're going to get punished. They took the goal and we had to lift ourselves again."

Emile Smith Rowe has the "huge potential" to match the exploits of young England stars Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho, according to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners begin their FA Cup defence at home to Newcastle United on Saturday, buoyed by a sharp upturn in their Premier League form.

A dominant 3-1 London derby win over Chelsea on Boxing Day sparked an ongoing three-match winning run.

Smith Rowe was handed a starting berth in that game and has kept his place after impressing in the No. 10 role, with the 20-year-old giving Arteta's team an overdue shot of creative intent.

In 2017, Smith Rowe was part of the England squad that won the U17 World Cup, with Foden named player of the tournament.

Sancho featured during the group stages before being called back to club action by Borussia Dortmund, and Arteta acknowledged the duo are ahead of Smith Rowe in their development.

"He has huge potential. He really wants it and he has the personality when he goes on the field to express and play the way he can play," said Arteta, who coached Foden and - more briefly - Sancho at Manchester City as part of Pep Guardiola's backroom staff.

"To do it in a consistent way is a different thing. The boys that you mentioned, they've done it. It's true that they're ahead in their development phase because they've played many more minutes and games in the last two seasons.

"But he is capable of doing that. Whether he's going to do it will depend on how he continues to develop, how he takes the chance that he has in front of him and how much we can help him to achieve that."

Underwhelming loan stints at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town in the past two years preceded a pre-season shoulder injury, but a player dubbed "The Croydon De Bruyne" by some Arsenal fans has shown he is ready to make up for lost time.

"A lot of things have happened to him in the past year," Arteta acknowledged. "He needs to establish himself here, he needs to be successful here, he needs to really find his role and his position in the team and in the club.

"That will help him to have a clear path. We really believe in him. He needs to have no fear and go for it, because he has the quality."

That quality has certainly been to the fore this season, with Smith Rowe's four assists coming at a rate of one every 93.5 minutes across seven appearances in all competitions.

With the youngster in the side, Arsenal average 2.9 goals per game. The 4-1 Europa League triumph over Rapid Vienna – in which he scored – was one of six victories Smith Rowe has been involved in this term, amounting to a win percentage of 85.7 per cent that plummets to 40 in the 20 games he spent as a spectator.

It feels infeasible that Arteta will leave him out of such a large proportion of games again but the former Emirates Stadium skipper pointed towards the examples of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, who completed an exciting attacking midfield trident alongside Smith Rowe against Chelsea and Brighton, when discussing how younger players must have their workloads managed.

That could mean some stints playing in different positions, as Saka has during his fledgling Arsenal career, although Arteta cannot deny the much-needed lift his breakthrough stars have given Arsenal, even as he tries to manage expectations.

"Sometimes a team is a little bit concerned and has some fear because of the results, because of the pressure," he added, before noting the impact through "enthusiasm" the younger members of his squad have had.

"I think they were really helpful because they were re-energising to the team. They pushed the team into a different direction and a different rhythm as well.

"But, of course, the young players need that solidity, experience and maturity that the older players bring. It's a good combination."

Everton would be willing to sell Moise Kean to Paris Saint-Germain should the French side want to make his loan deal permanent, says Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Kean joined PSG on a season-long loan in October after a disappointing spell for the Toffees that yielded just four goals in 37 appearances since a €30 million (£27m/$33m) move from Juventus in August 2019.

The 20-year-old looks to have rediscovered his best form at the Parc des Princes, scoring 10 goals in 17 games to spark rumours of a permanent move.

When asked about the possibility of letting the forward leave Goodison Park, Ancelotti appeared to suggest the club were ready to do a deal.

“First we have to look at the desire of the player,” the Italian told reporters. “If the player wants to stay at PSG then of course the two clubs have to sit at the table to talk about this, and we are open to talk.

“The club is open to talk if PSG wants to sign Moise Kean, who is doing really well in this moment.”

Ancelotti also played down rumours linking Bernard with a move away from the Merseysiders.

Roma are reportedly keen on signing the Brazilian and were rumoured to be preparing a swap deal involving goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who is on loan at Goodison Park.

“If the player desires to stay here we are not going to force him to leave,” said the former Chelsea boss.

“Until now he is happy to stay here. He didn’t play a lot but he never came to say: ‘I want to leave’ and we don’t want him to sell him full stop. This is the situation at the moment.”

Ancelotti also confirmed that defender Lucas Digne is available for Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Rotherham after making a remarkable recovery from ankle surgery.

The France international was not expected to return until February but is available just six weeks after going under the knife.

“His recovery was really fast – the medical staff and him did a fantastic job,” Ancelotti said.

“He trained all week with us and is fit, in good condition and can play tomorrow. We know Digne is a top professional. The surgery was good, the rehab was really good and it was unbelievable to see Digne so early in training.”

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has explained the club is willing to keep Leon Balogun beyond the 2020-21 season.

The 32-year-old defender teamed up with the Ibrox Stadium outfit in the summer of 2020 after leaving Wigan Athletic.

The centre-back has been delivering solid performances for the Gers since his arrival, featuring in 18 games across all competitions.

His fine showings helped the Ibrox Stadium outfit to their current top spot on the Scottish Premiership table after gathering 62 points from 22 games.

Balogun’s one-year contract with the Gers is set to expire at the end of the current season and Gerrard has revealed the club’s desire to hand the Super Eagles star a new deal.

“All contract chat will remain private between players and the club once they get up and running,” Gerrard said in a pre-match press conference.

“At the right time, we will sit down with Allan McGregor and see what he wants to do in terms of his own future. Leon Balogun is also someone we want to keep a hold off.”

Rangers have kept clean sheets in four of their last five games and are on a five-game winning streak to ensure they open a 19-point gap at the top of the table.

Connor Goldson, who has partnered Balogun a number of times this season at the heart of the defence, has praised the Super Eagles star for his solid displays.

“I'm enjoying playing with Leon, a really good defender and very athletic,” Goldson said.

“I feel like we are locking teams in and not letting teams attack us as much as they like. Both Filip and Leon have helped the team out massively and have been brilliant.”

Balogun has spent most of his career in Germany, playing for Turkiyemspor Berlin, Hannover 96, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Darmstadt 98 and Mainz 05 before moving to England in 2018.

The defender teamed up with Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion but struggled for game time before joining Wigan in the Championship, initially on loan before the deal was made permanent.

Balogun will be expected to continue his impressive performances for Rangers when they take on Aberdeen in a league game on Sunday.

The centre-back remains a key member of the Super Eagles since he made his debut for the West African side in 2014.

Ghanaian side Asante Kotoko have been pitted against Algerian side ES Setif in the Caf Confederation Cup play-off round.

The draw was conducted on Friday.

The development comes amid the Ghanaians' contesting their elimination from the Caf Champions League to the Confederation Cup under controversial circumstances.

The Porcupine Warriors will host the first leg on February 14 before travelling to Setif for the return leg after a week.

Kotoko were dumped out of the Champions League under controversial circumstances on Wednesday.

Having lost 1-0 at home to Sudanese side Al-Hilal Omdurman in the first leg, the Porcupine Warriors saw the reverse fixture cancelled after a kick-off delay. The home side was handed qualification to the next round as Kotoko were declared to have presented an inadequate number of players for the match.

Just before kick-off, Kotoko's team became depleted after seven players were confirmed positive for the coronavirus, reducing their squad size below Caf's stipulated 15-player number.

Kotoko are, however, contesting the positive coronavirus tests, declaring the results were falsified by Hilal. Media reports say the Ghanaians are considering heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) should they fail in their Caf appeal.

As per Caf regulations, a club unable to present enough players for a game have to forfeit the match and are declared losers.

This rule sees Kotoko eliminated from the Champions League unless they are able to win their appeal before the start of the group stage.

Also, per Caf rules, a team which loses its Champions League first round fixture is demoted to the Confederation Cup.

"Four officials and seven players are alleged to have tested positive for Covid after the results of the tests came in," Kotoko posted in an update amid Wednesday's controversy.

"The Covid results were delivered by known officials of Al Hilal but suspiciously enough, the positive results clearly look different from the negative results.

"The team [Kotoko] has made an official complaint to the match commissioner as the Covid results have been tampered with."

Last season, Kotoko were eliminated in the Caf Champions League in the first round by Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel. After dropping to the Confederation Cup, they were beaten by San Pedro of Cote d'Ivoire in the play-offs.

When Lionel Messi announced last summer that he wanted to leave Barcelona, the world was at a standstill.

Messi outlined his unhappiness at Camp Nou, but, in an exclusive interview with Goal, he revealed his decision to stay, as the only way to break his contract was to take Barcelona to court.

But now that Messi's contract is expiring this summer, he could be set to actually leave this time. Which club could he potentially play for next? Goal takes a look.

Barcelona

Messi's contract with Barcelona expires at the end of the current season, meaning he could leave Camp Nou for free in the summer and is now allowed to talk to other clubs.

Messi's contract buyout clause (or release clause) is €700 million (£630m/$825m), which was put in place when Messi signed a new four-year contract with Barcelona in 2017. 

This clause, however, will expire at the end of his current deal, paving the way for him to join another club as a free agent.

The Argentine has stated that he does not intend to announce his future plans until the end of the season, telling La Sexta: "What matters now is thinking about the team, finishing the year well and not being distracted by other things. I don't know what will happen.

"I'm focused on what we have here and battling for whatever we can. I'll wait until the season is over."

Staying at Barcelona and extending his contract is still an option for the forward, but it will be up to the next Barcelona president to convince the superstar to stay.

After the major falling out between Messi and former president Josep Bartomeu, the relationship between the board and the player still remains uncertain - with even presidential candidate Agusti Benedito pessimistic about Messi's future at Barcelona.

"Keeping Messi would be the best news for the club but I am not very optimistic," the Spanish entrepreneur told ESPN. "Given the club's situation, I think it's really important that he stays at Barca, with the understanding that he understands the next two years we have in front of us [could be difficult]."

Barcelona are set to hold elections for a new president on January 24.

PSG

Paris Saint-Germain as a destination for Messi is one of the likelier options, especially as the club will be able to afford him - and he will be granted a long-desired reunion with former team-mate Neymar.

Mauricio Pochettino refused to link himself to rumours that the club have targeted Messi as a summer target, telling reporters in his first press conference as manager: “We leave the rumours aside. All great players are welcome at PSG.

“Father Christmas has been generous with me, I take this opportunity to thank president Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] and [sporting director] Leonardo for the trust and to be in this great club and back in this house. 

“It's one of the biggest clubs, if not the biggest in the world, so it's normal that there are rumours. We have just arrived so we leave them aside.”

The Premier League club emerged as a hopeful frontrunner for Messi's signature during the transfer saga last summer, and is another likely option for the 33-year-old along with PSG.

Both clubs have the financial means to afford Messi, but Manchester City have the lure of Pep Guardiola, whom Messi played for during his golden years at Barcelona.

The two continue to have a strong relationship, with chief operating officer Omar Berrada telling the Manchester Evening News of previous Messi links: “He's an amazing talent, he's somebody that can make a significant impact at any club in the world on and off the pitch immediately.

“He's the best player in the world, he's the best player of his generation. I think any club in the world would like to explore the possibility of him joining their team."

Messi revealed for the first time in his career a desire to play in MLS, telling La Sexta that he would like to play in the United States one day.

"I always said that I have the impression that I would like to enjoy the experience of living in the United States, of living in that league and that life, but if it happens or not I don't know," he said in the interview.

Should Messi decide to go Stateside, he would follow in the footsteps of European greats David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, who all had stints in North America.

Due to the unique nature of the City Football Group, which owns both Manchester City and New York City FC, the Big Apple could be a realistic destination for the striker.

According to ESPN, there is a likelihood of Messi reuniting with Guardiola at Manchester City before retiring at NYCFC - a sister club to the Eithad side - to mark the end of his playing career. 

While high-profile sides like LA Galaxy and LAFC shouldn't be ruled out, the links between NYCFC and Man City make it a more likely destination, though David Beckham's Inter Miami is also an option.

To nobody's surprise, Messi outright denied the possibility of joining a rival La Liga club, saying when asked if he could join Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid: "No, impossible." 

Express FC defender Murushid Juuko has revealed they are determined more than ever to succeed in the 2020-21 campaign.

The Red Eagles started their campaign in the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) on a high note as they are currently sitting sixth on the table with eight points from four matches.

The positive start has elated the Uganda Cranes defender who now says they are psyched more than ever to resume action after the league took a break for Christmas and New Year holidays and also paved the way for their national team to take part in the African Nations Championship (Chan) set for Cameroon.

“Am glad most of my mates returned in good health,” Juuko told the club's official website as the team resumed training for league resumption on Friday. “Now we need to catch up fast because we’ve got a lot coming.

“Personally I am happy with how I’ve performed in the four games played so far and as a team, we’ve managed to improve in each game.”

On how he had managed to cope despite playing with different options at the back, Juuko said: “So far I’ve managed to play alongside Enock [Walusimbi] and Isa Lumu but I can ascertain that both are capable.”

Skipper Walusimbi started out partnering with Juuko on matchday one away against Onduparaka in Arua but was sent off and in came Isa Lumu who has since formed a solid partnership while captain Walusimbi was moved to right back.

On returning to training, Express coach Wasswa Bbosa also expressed optimism that they are destined for a great season.

Bbossa along with his assistants in James Odoch, Daniel Kiwanuka the goalkeeping coach, Helen Buteme the strength and conditioning coach, took the players through light paces with the tactician insisting the boys will get their form back in due course.

“We’re glad everyone has returned safely, we carried out our Covid-19 tests on Monday and we’re glad everyone is negative because it means we have a full squad to ourselves save for the injuries,” Bbosa explained.

“We’ve started lightly but we shall step it up in due course, the boys will be ready by February - make no mistake about it.

The six-time league champions are also unbeaten and hope to continue the run when the league resumes in February.

Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt has tested positive for coronavirus, the Italian club have confirmed.

The Netherlands international played the full 90 minutes of Juventus’ 3-1 win at leaders AC Milan on Wednesday but will now begin a period of self-isolation.

“Juventus Football Club announces that, during the checks provided for by the protocol in force, Matthijs De Ligt has emerged positive with Covid-19,” read a statement on the club’s website.

“The player has already been placed in solitary confinement.”

De Ligt missed the start of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery over the summer but has featured in every game for Juventus since returning to fitness at the end of November.

The Bianconeri have lost just once in 12 games in all competitions since De Ligt returned to the side, helping them recover from an inconsistent start to the season that saw them fall behind the early pacesetters in the Serie A table.

Led by new manager Andrea Pirlo, Juventus are chasing a 10th successive Italian title.

Pirlo’s side are currently third, seven points behind leaders AC Milan, though they have a game in hand on all of the sides above them. They host Sassuolo in Turin on Sunday with Roberto De Zerbi’s side just one point and one place behind them in the table.

De Ligt is the second Juventus player to test positive for coronavirus in the space of a week after Alex Sandro returned a positive test on Monday.

The Brazil international is also currently self-isolating after he displayed mild symptoms of the virus. Sandro played alongside fellow defender De Ligt in Sunday's 4-1 league victory over Udinese in Turin.

The news comes as a number of countries grapple with a fresh wave of coronavirus cases, which has inevitably had an impact on sport.

In England, four Premier League matches had to be postponed in December because of outbreaks at clubs’ training grounds.

Aston Villa will also be forced to name an U23 side for Friday’s FA Cup third round tie against Liverpool after an outbreak of cases forced the first-team squad and management team into self-isolation.

Sven Vandenbroeck has revealed the reason he decided to part ways with Tanzanian champions Simba SC.

On Thursday, the Wekundu wa Msimbazi confirmed the exit of the Belgian tactician only a day after he led them to the group stage of the Caf Champions League after eliminating FC Platinum of Zimbabwe 4-1 on aggregate.

The decision left many football followers in the country in shock with some wondering why they had parted ways with a coach, who had guided them to the group stage of the competition for the third time in history.

The Belgian tactician has now revealed he left Simba because of family issues in a statement on his Instagram page.

“I have amicably parted with Simba to find more balance between work and my family, and for personal development,” said Vandenbroeck. “I do so with a heavy heart because I became a part of Simba and Simba became a part of me.

“I thank all the players for their contributions to our success and fans for all the wonderful memories.

“I especially thank president Mo and CEO Barbara Gonzalez for their professionalism and for helping me do my job. They both tried to convince me to stay until the last second.

"I will always wish Simba great success.”

In an earlier statement, Simba Information Officer Haji Manara openly admitted it was not good news to part ways with Vandenbroeck.

“It is not good news for this period,” Manara wrote on his Facebook page after the exit of Vandenbroeck. “But let us pray we relax and leave the task of getting a good successor to our leadership so that we can cross the line together.”

On the coach’s exit, Simba said in a statement obtained by Goal: “The Board of Directors of Simba Sports Club announces to its members and fans that we have parted ways with our head coach Sven Vandenbroeck by mutual consent.

“Simba thank coach Sven for the success achieved during his time with the club where we won the Tanzanian Premier League, the FA Cup, the Community Shield and qualified for the group stage of the Caf Champions League.

“In light of the above, assistant coach Selemani Matola will hold the position vacated by Sven up until we announce a new person for the role," the statement continued. "We recognize that Sven will always be part of the Simba family.

“We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

Simba appointed the 41-year-old Belgian to take charge of the team in December 2019 after sacking Patrick Aussems a month earlier.

Aussems was relieved of his duties when Simba claimed the Belgian left the club without official permission during the last international break.

They turned for help on another Belgian, Vandenbroeck, who had left his role as the head coach of the Zambia national football team in February 2019.

Vandenbroeck served as the caretaker coach of Greek side Niki Volos Football Club in 2014. The former defensive midfielder was Hugo Broos' assistant when the Indomitable Lions won the Africa Cup of Nations two years ago.

New Nantes boss Raymond Domenech reacted in a characteristically bizarre manner when questioned about the club’s transfer window, citing the recently deceased Diego Maradona.

Back in football after more than a decade in the wilderness following his departure from France after a debacle at the 2010 World Cup, Domenech was known for his strange comments and idiosyncrasies during that period.

He has shown he has lost none of his flair for a soundbite, though.

Speaking in a press conference, he was asked for his reaction to missing out on Lyon midfielder Jean Lucas on loan, with the Brazilian going to Brest when he seemed destined for Nantes.

“I didn’t follow the ups and down of the deal but he’s now in Brest and that’s how it is,” he reflected to the media. “I would like to have signed Maradona, but he’s dead. That’s how it is.”

Nantes, meanwhile, swept former Stoke midfielder Giannelli Imbula away from second-tier Guingamp to put him on trial.

“He’s got real potential,” Domenech said. “It’s interesting. He’s coming back. I haven’t made any decision but we’ll speak in a few days.”

Domenech is remembered infamously in France for his bizarre outbursts and strange selection decisions while in charge of the national team.

In 2007, after Jose Mourinho had accused him of treating midfielder Claude Makelele “like a slave”, Domenech hit back: “As long as he can walk, he will play. I have the right to pick him.”

His demise arrived in 2010, when Nicolas Anelka delivered an expletive-ridden tirade at him during the half-time interval of a 2-0 defeat to Mexico at the World Cup. In protest at Anelka being subsequently sent home the following day, the rest of the squad refused to train in full view of the world’s media.

Les Bleus finished bottom of their group with just a single point, beaten 2-1 by the host nation in their final game. Domenech’s reign finished with the indignity of him trudging past South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira without shaking hands.

This latest comment, then, is simply the latest in a catalogue of such incidents.

Manchester United head coach Casey Stoney has apologised and taken responsibility after some of her players flew to Dubai over the Christmas period.

The club's fixture against Everton became the third WSL game to be called off on Friday, due to positive tests at Everton that occurred at the end of 2020.

Toffees manager Willie Kirk told the press on Friday morning that "the last round of [Covid-19] testing was all negative", however the club announced on Friday night that the game had been postponed due to them "not being able to field a squad because of recent Covid-19 infections and injuries".

The statement said five Everton players had contracted coronavirus "between Christmas and New Year" and, although those players returned to training this week and the rest of the squad tested negative, "the five players are unable to be passed fit to play this weekend", leaving Kirk with just 13 available players. The minimum required to play a fixture is 14.

Stoney, however, still admitted that she made a mistake in allowing her players to travel abroad.

“I said before Christmas that I will always take my players’ wellbeing into consideration and I granted permission for my players to go home and see their families to have a break," Stoney told the press on Friday.

"On reflection, I do trust my players wholeheartedly to stick within government guidelines, everything we allowed them to do was within government guidelines, but I have to be honest and on reflection it was a poor error in judgement from me. I am sincerely sorry for that.

"The buck starts with me and it stops with me so I am sorry for that. Everything was considered as a club in terms of the players’ needs. That’s why it was approved. I’m human and I make mistakes. I made a mistake and I take responsibility for it.”

Pictures of a number of players throughout the Women's Super League on trips abroad were spotted on social media this week, causing mass controversy, particularly with a number of games since called off due to positive Covid-19 tests.

Manchester City revealed on Monday that four players had contracted the virus, with their game against West Ham this weekend and their Continental Cup quarter-final against Chelsea next week both postponed.

Arsenal's clash with Aston Villa was also postponed due to a positive Covid-19 test forcing a number of players into self-isolation, as per the government guidelines.

“I can understand frustration of course, especially when we are getting positive tests and games are being called off," Stoney said.

"Fans can’t get into grounds. Covid-19 has impacted everybody. I can completely understand when people are stuck at home and can’t see families and they see players on holidays – I can understand the frustration in that. I can only say from my point of view and the club’s point of view, we took everything in consideration for their needs.

"Jackie Groenen went back to Holland, Ona Battle went back to Spain and Ivana Fuso went back to Germany. They all came back, quarantined and got tested before coming back into our environment.

"It was the right thing to do by them as people because of where they were at. I can only speak from our club’s point of view. I have to take responsibility for that.

"[The players who went abroad but not to see family] went away for a break, again within government guidelines as we were in Tier 3 at the time. We felt we were making an informed decision, on reflection it wasn’t a good decision and I’ll admit that.

"But I’m not going to single out players and crucify them, at the end of the day it was a club decision and unfortunately it wasn’t the right one. As I said, I am human and I make mistakes. I’ve made an error. I’ll look into it deeply and the impact it’s had on people and the reaction it’s caused, and I am deeply, deeply sorry for that.

"I expect my players to stick within government guidelines and club protocols and I have to tell you our club protocols have been more stringent than government guidelines for a long time, which took a huge toll on our players.

"Anybody that is deemed to be breaking club protocols or govt guidelines I take very seriously and I will deal with internally.

"I wouldn't want to call a game off. Obviously I'm saying that we've potentially made poor decisions over Christmas, had that come back to us, I still wouldn't have wanted to call the game off because of the integrity of what we're doing. I want my players to play.

"If I'm the one saying we are prepared to allow people to go [away] and I'm saying it's a risk that I'm okay to take for their needs, their emotional needs, I'm not going to call a game off, because it is my decision, and why should the rest of my players suffer?

"So for the integrity of the competition, I would never ask for a postponement. It's not something I would do."

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has lent his backing to striker Karim Benzema, who is to stand trial over his alleged involvement in the attempted blackmail of Mathieu Valbuena.

The case has been rumbling on since 2015 and cost the players the opportunity to feature at both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.

Benzema is accused of trying to extort money from his fellow France star prior to a friendly against Armenia.

And AFP reports that he will be taken to court at an as yet unspecified date, facing a potential penalty of up to five years in jail.

Zidane, though, is confident that justice will fall on the side of the prolific forward, who has been among Los Blancos’ ranks since 2009.

“Benzema has my complete support,” Zidane said on Friday. “I know it's not an easy situation. The important thing is what I see and he is well.

“These are difficult situations and we want it to be resolved as soon as possible. He detaches from all of that and focuses on his work, his family. He does what he likes and wants to make people happy when he is on the pitch.”

Benzema's lawyer responded to the news that his client is being charged with conspiracy to attempt blackmail by telling the Efe news agency: “The decision to try him is absurd and is unfair cruelty.

“Benzema has nothing to be ashamed of in this case.”

Valbuena's lawyer Paul-Albert Iweins told L'Equipe that the decision to go to trial is “the logical continuation of the instruction which perfectly established the participation of the various people”.

Despite his off-field issues, Benzema has remained a potent source of goals for Los Blancos, with 261 efforts recorded through 533 appearances. This tally puts him fifth in the all-time standings for the club, behind only greats like Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul and Alfredo Di Stefano.

Indeed, since Ronaldo departed the Bernabeu for Juventus in the summer of 2018, Benzema has been increasingly important for the club and has been the constant in their forward line over that period of transition.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) laboured to a 1-0 win over Namungo FC in a Mapinduzi Cup game played at the Amani Stadium on Friday night 

Timu ya Wananchi scored their goal in the first half courtesy of Zawadi Mauya.

Wananchi had come into the match desperate for a win after drawing 0-0 with Jamhuri in their opening Group A game. However, it was not going to be an easy game against their league rivals.

The 27-time league champions stamped their authority early in the game, trying to limit their opponents from getting sight of their goal and at the same time using every opportunity to raid them.

Yanga's tactic worked as they managed to get their goal in the 24th minute through Mauya. It happened to be the only goal in the first half despite the numerous chances created.

Namungo came in the second half with an attacking mindset, but they could not break down their opponents who were organized well.

Eventually, the 2020 finalists lost the game by a solitary goal as Yanga went top of the group and sealed their place in the quarter-finals.

Wananchi are not showing signs of missing their star midfielder Carlinhos who was forced to return back home owing to an injury.

The Angolan star was keen to use the tournament to revive his career at the club after a rather poor start which saw him miss a couple of Mainland Premier League matches in the first round.

Despite starting well by scoring two goals and assisting two, Carlinhos picked an injury that saw him miss a number of matches including the derby against rivals Simba SC which ended in a 1-1 draw.

He later returned and played only one match and picked another injury which ruled him out of the first round matches.

However, he was named in the 20-man squad for the Mapinduzi Cup which kicked-off on January 4, and according to the club’s Information Officer Hassan Bumbuli, he has suffered another injury setback and was forced to return to Dar es Salaam.

"The squad is in good shape; all the players are fit except for Carlinhos who has been forced to return to the capital, Dar es Salaam,” Bumbuli told reporters in Zanzibar.

"He will have to continue with the treatment as well as the programs he was scheduled for due to his lack of fitness."

His withdrawal makes him join the list of Yanga players not in the tournament including Feisal, Kaseke, Yasin Mustapha, Farid Mussa, Bakari Mwamnyeto, Ditram Nchimbi, and striker Yacouba Songne.

Ghana international Jonathan Mensah believes playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) has contributed to his struggles for call-ups to the Black Stars.

The 30-year-old Columbus Crew captain, who once featured for French side Evian, has not been called up for national duty since playing at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

His snub has prompted calls for retirement from the national team, a suggestion he recently swatted aside, re-affirming his commitment to the Black Stars.

“Looking back at my career in France, one of the top leagues in the world, I was in a tough situation at that time with a couple of injuries,” Mensah told Citi TV.

“I played just about 50 games in my four or five years in France. But I still played lots of games with the national team, because wherever there was a call up I was always fit,” he said.

“I’ve played over 100 games during my time in the MLS and I haven’t received too many call ups. I really don’t know where talk of the league being weak is coming from. I don’t believe that narrative."

Mensah made his international debut in 2009 and has gone on to represent Ghana at six Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournaments and two World Cup gatherings.

He currently has over 60 appearances for the Black Stars.

“My doors are wide open to the national team always. I’m never going to retire from international football," Mensah earlier told Angel FM.

“I don’t even have the ink in my pen to write and announce a retirement.

"Even if I’m done with club football and am needed by Ghana at 40, I will avail myself.

“Even the likes of Roger Milla and Flavio Amado were grown and unattached yet they still played for their national teams.”

Mensah joined South African side Free State Stars from Ashanti Gold in 2008 before signing for Italian side Udinese in 2010 after helping Ghana win the 2009 U20 Afcon and Fifa U20 World Cup.

While with the Serie A outfit, he moved to Spanish club Granada on loan, from where he transferred to Evian in 2011 for a five-year spell.

He spent the 2016 season with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala before heading for Columbus Crew in 2017.