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Azam FC have confirmed they have reached an agreement to sell their striker Alain Thierry Akono Akono to Negeri Sembilan of Malaysia.

The Cameroonian arrived at the Chamazi-based giants on August 24 from AS Fortuna du Mfou.

The club has confirmed his exit on their social media pages by stating: “Azam we have reached an agreement with Negeri Sembilan of Malaysia, to sell our player Cameroon, Alain Thierry Akono Akono.

"Akono joined Azam early this season as he came from Cameroon's Fortuna club for a two-year contract and becomes the third player to be sold by Azam this season.

“The club has sold Novatus Dismas who emerged in Israel, followed Shaaban Chilunda who was sold in Morocco. We are so thankful for his service in our club and we wish him all the best in his new journey wherever he goes.”

The exit of the burly striker comes just hours after Azam coach George Lwandamina claimed he will have to sign a few players in the mini-transfer window if the team is to remain among the title contenders.

The Chamazi-based giants started the season on a high, managing to win seven straight matches from the opening fixture and were leading the log for most of the early stages before they lost to Mwadui FC.

After the defeat, they moved to fire Romanian coach Aristica Cioaba and went for the services of the much-travelled Lwandamina, who has so far overseen two matches, both ending in 2-2 draws - against Namungo FC and Ruvu Shooting

“There is nothing I will promise at the moment about the signing of new players but I will sit down with the directors of the club to find out what I will do during this transfer period,” Lwandamina said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“Every day there is a lot of competition which also contributes to the league being tough and good, and the Tanzanian league is now getting bigger as people are being reached with information wherever they are unlike in the past.

“So we must be actively involved to make sure we beef up the areas I feel need improvement; it will all depend with the club bosses but we need to improve a few areas if we are to remain in title contention.”

Against Ruvu Shooting at the Chamazi complex, the ‘Ice-cream Makers’ took a deserved lead in the 34th minute when striker Ayoub Lwanga headed home from a corner kick but Emmanuel Martin levelled matters for Ruvu in the 53rd minute.

Azam regained the lead in the 60th minute when Mudathir Yahya powered home from close range but the goal was not enough to end their bad run as Fully Zullu Maganga ensured Ruvu got a point from the tie in the 70th minute.

The draw left them in third spot on 28 points while Yanga SC, who beat Dodoma Jiji 3-1 on Sunday, are top with 37 points from 16 matches and champions Simba SC, who edged out KMC 1-0 on Thursday, are second with 32 points from 14 matches.

Andre Onana impressed in goal while Zakaria Labyad found the back of the net to help Ajax secure a 4-2 victory over ADO Den Haag in Sunday’s Eredivisie game.

Onana continued his consistent form for the Sons of the Gods, making his 13th league appearance, and helped his side secure their third consecutive victory.

Labyad was afforded his tenth league start at Cars Jeans Stadion and scored his seventh goal of the season across all competitions.

Dusan Tadic opened the surge of goals in the 20th minute after receiving a timely assist from Sean Klaiber.

Two minutes later, Klaas Jan Huntelaar doubled the lead with a fine effort after he was set up by Daley Blind.

Labyad then made it three at the half-hour mark for his fifth league goal of the campaign after receiving a fine pass from Antony.

Huntelaar then completed his brace in the 32nd minute to ensure the Sons of the Gods go into the break with a comfortable lead.

After the restart, Ajax seemed to take their feet off the pedal as ADO Den Haag launched an attempted comeback with Michiel Kramer reducing the deficit in the 49th minute.

Samy Bourard then found the back of the net in the 70th minute after benefitting from Kramer’s assist but the effort was not enough to help the Hagueavoid against defeat.

Onana featured for the duration of the game along with Morocco international Labyad, who has been with Ajax since 2018.

The victory helped Ajax maintain their lead on the top of the league table after gathering 33 points from 13 games.

The African stars will be expected to continue their consistent performances when the Sons of the Gods take on Willem II in their next league game on December 23.

Onana has made more than 140 appearances across all competitions for Ajax since his promotion to the first team.

The Cameroon international has helped the club win a number of accolades, including the league title and Cup trophy.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge warned Leroy Sane must show more desire and says Bayern Munich will be prepared to "kick his butt" if needed to get the best out of their big-money signing.

Sane has endured a difficult start to his time at Bayern and hit a new low when he was hauled off after being introduced as a substitute to replace the injured Kingsley Coman in the first half of a dramatic 2-1 win at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

The winger, signed on a five-year deal for an initial fee of €49 million (£44.5m) - rising to €60m - from Manchester City in July, spent just 36 minutes on the field at BayArena.

Sane had been criticised by the great Lothar Matthaus ahead of the game and Bayern coach Hansi Flick also said the 24-year-old must offer more in order to force his way into the team.

The Bundesliga champions' chief executive Rummenigge says Sane has to raise his game and work harder to be a success at the club, who on Sunday revealed Coman's hamstring injury is not serious.

He told  SPORT1 : "Leroy was not happy [to be taken off], that's clear and understandable. God gave him incredible talents. I only believe one thing: he has not yet reached this FC Bayern gene.

"Like Thomas Muller, he was my hero yesterday. He has marched up and down, but not as protected by talent as Leroy. He has to work on that, that is his job.

"We have done everything we can to ensure that he comes to Bayern. We encourage every player, but we also challenge. He has to internalise that and the team supports him.

"He has to take the next step, Leroy has to adapt his character to FC Bayern. This character is: you forgive everything, but you have to give the impression that you are throwing everything into the balance in order to leave the field as the winner. He will have to learn that."

Rummenigge added: "I believe that he can have a big future at FC Bayern. We are ready to help him, to encourage him, but he also has to challenge himself in order to get to where he can be. We will, if necessary, kick his butt to get him there."

Sane lost possession nine times in his short time on the field, completed 15 of his 19 passes (78.9 per cent) and conceded two fouls, more than any other Bayern player.

Robert Lewandowski's last-gasp goal, his second of the game, consigned Leverkusen to a first defeat of the season to ensure Bayern will end 2020 two points clear at the top of the table.

East Bengal head coach Robbie Fowler believes his team should have secured all three points against Kerala Blasters in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) match on Sunday. 

The Red and Golds took the lead courtesy of a Bakary Kone own goal in the first half but conceded in added time to drop points. The stalemate means both the teams are yet to win a game this season. 

After the game, Fowler said, "We are disappointed. It is a game we should have won. We had enough chances to win more than one game. We need to be a little bit more clinical in the final third.

"The plan was to win the game. We do a lot of work on the opposition. There were a lot of times when we did get (in behind). There is a bit of room for improvement in terms of finishing."

East Bengal's woes in front of goal this season are well documented and Fowler opted to field Anthony Pilkington upfront to find joy in the final third against Blasters. The move worked as the Kolkata-based club looked dangerous when going forward and created chances to score. 

"We work hard on what we are doing. In the final third, we want quality players to not just score but also hold up and bring others into the game," Fowler explained the decision. 

"He (Pilkington) brings a lot of quality. He has played at a fantastic level. It obviously gives us a headache (for the next game). We got lots of players in the squad and will use them as we see fit."

Fowler felt that the Indian players in the team did a good job and also mentioned that forward Aaron Amadi-Holloway was not feeling well enough to play the game.

"We have to work hard, sometimes things go against us. The young lads who came on put a shift in.

"Aaron is injured. We will never force the players to play. He wasn't ready. We couldn't really see much from the scans but the player was hurt." 

East Bengal have been working behind the scenes to improve their squad in the January transfer window but Fowler wasn't ready to reveal if the club has completed any signing yet. 

"We want the team to be strong. There is going to be work behind the scenes, hopefully, we will bring players in."

Kerala Blasters boss Kibu Vicuna felt that his team deserved the late goal that Jeakson Singh scored against East Bengal in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) match on Sunday. 

A 13th-minute Bakary Kone own goal had East Bengal in the lead for most of the game but half-time substitutes Jeakson Singh and Sahal Abdul Samad combined to come up with a late equaliser for the winless Yellow Army.

"I think it was a deserved goal that Jeakson scored. I am proud of their players' fighting spirit in the second half. We wanted three points but we showed that we can create chances," the former Mohun Bagan head coach said after the game. 

Striker Gary Hooper, who only has one goal to his name this season, once again led the line for Blasters after Vicuna had opted for a two-striker system in their previous match. The Spaniard explained the return to the single striker formation, saying he wanted the team to dominate the game. Hooper was replaced at the break due to an injury. 

"It was for tactical reasons (that the team switched back to a one-striker system). We wanted to have the ball more than the opponent. We had different possibilities and I thought this was the best one.

"(Hooper) is a good player, he was an important player. He had muscular problems and I replaced him with Murray." 

Gor Mahia have sought the help of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to have their Caf Champions League match against CR Belouizdad rescheduled.

Goal can exclusively reveal the Kenyan champions have written to the federation requesting they call on the African body to have the first leg match set for Algeria on Wednesday to be rescheduled, and played on neutral ground.

According to a top FKF official who did not want to be named, Gor Mahia are arguing that they have failed to acquire a flight to Algeria, claiming their airspace is currently closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Gor Mahia have written to FKF and we have forwarded the letter to Caf, they want the match rescheduled and played in a neutral ground because they cannot access Algeria,” the source told Goal.

“We will have to wait and see what Caf will say in their response but we should expect an obvious answer, Gor Mahia will be fined heavily because Caf gave them the flights that can be used to reach Algeria but they are now saying they cannot access the country.

“It is unfortunate that even the letter asking us to intervene and talk to Caf came to us at 17:00 on Sunday, and they knew they are travelling on Sunday, I really don’t understand what is the problem at the club.

“What I can tell you, Caf will come hard on them, they will have to pay a fine and it will range from Ksh3million to Ksh4million.

“How come match officials for the match are able to access Algeria and Gor Mahia cannot? They will have to refund Caf for the money they have used in preparations for the match, that is for sure.”

Earlier on Sunday, Goal exclusively reported that Gor Mahia players had threatened to boycott the fixture if they are not paid their dues.

K'Ogalo players have been on a go-slow and Goal understands they held a meeting with some officials on Saturday and made it clear they will not travel to Algeria for the game if they are not paid.

“We have not been paid our November monies as well as this [December] month,” a senior player in the team told Goal on Sunday.

“Yes, we had a meeting on Saturday and our stand was made clear. The office should pay us our allowances and salaries before we talk about the Algeria trip.

“As it stands, nobody has communicated to us regarding the logistics of the game. We are in the dark over everything, but again, they cannot tell us because our stand has been made clear.”

The Kenyan champions qualified for the next phase of the competition after they managed to secure a 4-3 aggregate win against APR of Rwanda in a two-legged affair.

The Rwandan champions came into the return leg with a 2-1 advantage from their first leg meeting in Kigali, but fell short as Gor Mahia scored two quick goals in added time to win 3-1 on the day and advance.

On the other hand, CR Belouizdad reached the next round after a 4-0 aggregate win against Al Nasr of Libya. The Algerian champions won the first leg away in Tripoli 2-0 and returned home to complete the job with another 2-0 win to set a date with K'Ogalo.

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay wrote his name in the history books by becoming the first player in Premier League history to score twice in the first three minutes of a match against Leeds United on Sunday.

The Scotland international put United in front with a low 20-yard strike after just 69 seconds, the Red Devils’ fastest top-flight goal against Leeds.

McTominay repeated the trick a minute later. Anthony Martial’s pass found the onrushing midfielder, who took a neat first touch to get the ball out of his feet before firing past Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

They were the type of goals more befitting of an accomplished attacking midfielder, rather than someone more known for his defensive capabilities.

McTominay had scored just six goals in his previous 68 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils, with his last strike coming late on in the Manchester derby back in early March.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side went further ahead when a thunderous strike from Bruno Fernandes put the home side 3-0 up after just 20 minutes. That was the earliest Manchester United have scored three goals in a Premier League game since August 2006 against Fulham.

Things got even better for Manchester United when defender Victor Lindelof slammed home their fourth goal from close range after Martial had flicked on Luke Shaw’s near-post corner, the first time Leeds have conceded four first-half goals in the Premier League.

Leeds hit back before the break through Liam Cooper’s header, but Man Utd would get two more goals midway through the second half through Fernandes and Dan James.

The Portugal international has now been involved in 30 goals in just 27 Premier League appearances after he joined from Sporting CP in January.

A win at Old Trafford would be enough to lift Manchester United into the top four, with the club still having a game in hand on the rest of the top six.

That would go a long way towards answering the critics who have questioned Solskjaer’s position in recent weeks, particularly after the club were knocked out of the Champions League.

Chelsea are facing a dilemma with right-back Reece James after he pulled out of training due to a knee problem.

The 21-year-old had a scan on his knee at Chelsea's training ground on Sunday morning which reveaed that he has a fluid build-up in his joint.

The club is now weighing up the best course of action, though the injury is understood not to be too severe. 

James initially suffered the injury following a collision with Daniel Podence in Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at Wolves on Tuesday. The England international trained with his club on Friday before complaining that his pain was increasing.

Chelsea now face a decision on whether to wait for the problem to settle or try to accelerate the recovery through a minor operation.

James will likely miss Monday's match against West Ham, with Cesar Azpilicueta set to step in at right-back having lost his place to James despite being the club captain.

Meanwhile, Blues head coach Frank Lampard is expecting to welcome back both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech, who trained for the first time on Friday ahead of the London derby.

Hudson-Odoi, in particular, is confident that he can be ready for at least a bench role to help his side who have lost their last two games away at both Wolves and Everton.

The absence of a host of wingers in recent weeks has been a struggle for Lampard's side to overcome.

Christian Pulisic had a spell on the sidelines with a persistent hamstring problem that he first sustained in the FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal in August. That was coupled with injuries to both Hudson-Odoi and Ziyech in the last few weeks.

Kai Havertz also received a positive Covid-19 test and was said to have suffered particularly bad symptoms, which has disrupted his match sharpness.

Chelsea will be happy to have most of their squad available ahead of a busy period. After the West Ham match they have two games in two days with a trip to Arsenal followed by a home clash with Aston Villa.

Lampard and Chelsea had called for the number of substitutes allowed per match to be increased from three to five to help ease the pressure on Premier League squads.

However, the option was voted down for a third time having been used previously during Project Restart when the league continued after the first UK lockdown due to coronavirus. Lampard spoke of his frustration at the decision ahead of his clash with the Hammers.

"When we spoke about it as managers, the overriding factor from managers, whether they were maybe for or against, was that this is a case of player welfare, making sure we are looking after players and giving them the best opportunity to play at optimum level and not putting them at risk and such, because of the uncertain times and the schedule," Lampard told reporters over Zoom.

"And that schedule gets tougher, for instance we play two games in three days over Christmas. So I think it would have been really beneficial for player welfare. Normally the modern-day player welfare comes out on top, I don't think it quite has this time.

"But the decision's been made, and we carry on."

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has refused to castigate Serge Aurier for a penalty he conceded in Spurs’ 2-0 loss to Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday.

Aurier conceded a soft penalty in the first half when he fouled Wesley Fofana in the box, despite the visiting player moving away from the target.

Mourinho had previously been caught on camera during Amazon documentary ‘Spurs All or Nothing’ telling Aurier that he was scared of him giving away a “sh*t penalty with VAR”.

The Portuguese, though, has done his best to defend the former Toulouse and Paris Saint-Germain defender.

“It was a mistake, not a moment of madness,” he told Sky Sports. “I have to admit, you have to know where you are when you’re in the box. You have to know that the player was going away from goal without any kind of danger. You have to describe it as a mistake.

“I know my players’ qualities. Serge was phenomenal against Liverpool – probably our best player – and today, he made this mistake. It’s not fair to say if it cost us the three points. There were other players who showed an attitude that I did not like.”

Mourinho did concede, however, it was a blow that his side went in behind following a first half during which they had appeared comfortable.

“You expect to go in at 0-0 but we went in 1-0 down. Then in the second half we conceded another own goal,” he said.

“The reaction was positive. Kasper Schmeichel made a couple of important saves, but it’s a game we lost with a penalty and an own goal.

“With the result, it looks like our opponent was totally in control, but that’s not the reality. Our performance was not good but the game was not like they deserved to win or we deserved to lose. It was not a good game, it was a poor game.”

Defeat means that Tottenham have lost their last couple in the league and have consequently fallen six points behind Liverpool in the standings.

Spurs will play Stoke in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday in their final fixture before Christmas.

Moses Simon impressed while Charles Traore found the back of the net as Nantes played out a 1-1 draw against Angers in Sunday’s Ligue 1 game.

The Nigeria international was afforded his 11th league start of the season and helped Patrick Collot’s men avoid a second consecutive defeat after losing to Reims last time out.

Simon formed a three-man attack along with Renaud Emond and Ludovic Blas, and gave a good account of himself.

Traore also started the encounter in the left-back role and scored his first goal of the season for the Canaries.

The game began with both sides aiming to outwit each other and Romain Thomas broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute after he was set up by Thomas Mangani to hand Angers the lead.  

With the game looking to end in favour of the Stade Raymond Kopa outfit, Traore then scored a crucial equalizer at the death to rescue a point for his side.

The draw moved the Canaries to the 15th spot on the Ligue 1 table after gathering 15 points from 16 games.

Simon struck two shots in the encounter, had 41 touches and had a 71 per cent successful pass rate during his 90 minutes of action.

The Super Eagles winger has now made 13 league appearances for the Stade de la Beaujoire outfit in the current season, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

Traore also featured for the duration of the game along with Algeria international Mehdi Abeid, while Mali’s Lassana Coulibaly, Ivory Coast internationals Abdoulaye Bamba and Ismael Traore were on parade for Angers throughout the encounter.

Simon teamed up with Nantes in 2019 from Spanish club Levante, initially on loan before the deal was made permanent this summer following his eye-catching performances for his side.

The forward along with Traore will hope to help the Canaries end their seven-game winless run when they take on Lyon in their next league game on December 23.

Nantes finished in mid-table last season and will hope to improve on the performance in the 2020-21 season.

Campeonato Brasileirao Serie A is the top level of soccer in Brazil and has been the breeding ground for some of the world's greatest players including Pele and Neymar.

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

As a result, football fans and scouts from all over the world watch the Brasileirao to see some of tomorrow's stars today, as well as some of the most exciting and entertaining games on television, filled with amazing technical ability and plenty of goals.

The 2020 Serie A season was due to begin on May 3 and end in December but, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament calendar was paused before eventually starting in August. It will now continue until February 24, 2021, barring any further delays.

How to watch Flamengo vs Bahia on US TV

After the euphoria of Jorge Jesus' trophy-laden year at the club, Flamengo have come back down to earth with a bump since the Portuguese's exit.

Successor Dom Torrent failed to win over fans and was sacked after just four months due to a series of humbling defeats both at home and in the Copa Libertadores. 

Rogerio Ceni was called in to steady the ship, and while the ex-Sao Paulo goalkeeper led the Libertadores out of the competition he has fared better in Serie A. 

Flamengo have now racked up three consecutive league victories and can move within two points of leaders Sao Paulo if they win both games in hand. 

Bahia, meanwhile, have struggled all season and sit perilously close to relegation, making a positive result at the Maracana essential for the visitors.

Flamengo vs Bahia is available to stream in the US on Fanatiz, where you can sign up for a 7-day free trial.

Brasileirao 2020 is exclusive to Fanatiz outside Brazil and the Balkans.

Live Stream: Fanatiz English ( stream now )

Flamengo vs Bahia team news and preview

Flamengo waltzed to a convincing 4-1 victory over Santos last Sunday, and coach Ceni is likely to name an unchanged team for this latest Serie A test. 

Ceni is also boosted by the return of veteran playmaker Diego, who has been unavailable for several weeks due to injury. 

Bahia, meanwhile, are likely to make several alterations to the team that went out of the Copa Sudamericana at the hands of Defensa y Justicia last week. 

Colombian Juan Pablo Ramirez is set to start in attack after coming off the bench in that clash, while coach Luiz Menezes must choose between Ernando or Anderson Martins in the middle of defence. 

Watch all this weekend's Brasileirao matches on Fanatiz in the US  with a 7-day free trial.

What other Brasileirao matches are available on Fanatiz?

Watch the Brasileirao live on Fanatiz.

Premier Soccer League (PSL) debutants TS Galaxy have parted ways with coach Dan Malesela. 

This comes after the Rockets suffered to a 3-2 defeat to Cape Town City in a PSL match which was played in the Mother City on Saturday evening.

The defeat extended Galaxy's winless run to six matches in the league and it was also their third successive loss.

The Rockets released the following statement on Sunday evening: 

"TS Galaxy FC has parted ways with coach, Dan Malesela following a string of poor results which saw the club failing to win a match in the last six PSL matches," A club statement read. 
 
Malesela had re-joined the Mpumalanga-based side at the start of the current season having left the club in February 2020 with the team struggling in the National First Division (NFD).

Galaxy club president Tim Sukazi explained why they had to cut ties with Malesela, who has also coached Chippa United in the PSL. 
 
“The decision to part ways with Coach Dan was not an easy one as he has a rich history with our club," Sukazi said. 

"Unfortunately, football is a result-driven business and decisions such as this can only be based on results than history. 
  
“Coach Dan will always be highly regarded at our club and his name will remain well documented in our history books.” 
 
Sukazi also revealed that Zipho Dlangalala will take over the coaching reins on an interim basis at the club and he will be assisted by Esau Mtsweni. 

“Coach Zipho will be our Head Coach in the interim. All I can do is to wish him well because he deserves the opportunity to assume the head coaching role on a permanent basis but only time will tell.

"He is a very good Coach whom I believe has the potential that is yet to be realised at the top level of the game.

"Coach Zipho will be assisted by coach Esau Mtsweni who has been serving on the same role for quite some time. We believe there is good synergy between the two Coaches which could bring success to our club.”

Dlangalala has served as Mamelodi Sundowns assistant coach and Orlando Pirates reserve team coach.

Galaxy's next match is against Baroka FC in a league match on January 5. 

Barcelona interim president Carles Tusquets has offered his full backing to Ronald Koeman ahead of the second half of the season.

Barca slipped eight points behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid having played a game more after being held to a 2-2 draw by Valencia at Camp Nou on Saturday.

Mouctar Diakhaby opened the scoring for the visitors when he headed home unmarked in the box on the half-hour mark, before Lionel Messi levelled with a header of his own just before the interval - equalling Brazil legend Pele's record of 643 goals for one club in the process.

Ronald Araujo's spectacular volley completed a swift turnaround for Barca in the 52nd minute, but they were ultimately unable to hold onto their advantage. Maxi Gomez restored parity when he stabbed home Jose Gaya's powerful cross, and neither side could find a winner in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Barca are now in real danger of drifting out of contention in the Liga title race, with a crucial trip to Real Valladolid up next on Tuesday.

It has already been suggested that Koeman is on borrowed time in his role in the Camp Nou dugout, but Tusquets is still certain he is the right man to take the club forwards.

Asked if the Dutch manager's job could soon come under threat, Barca's caretaker president told Deportes Cuatro: "I am not in charge of anyone. Koeman is doing well, with great judgment and has my full support."

Tusquets added on Koeman's current state of mind amid his side's mixed domestic form: "I have gone to eat with him several times and I see him optimistic."

The former Netherlands head coach said a lack of self-belief cost Barca in their latest La Liga outing, while insisting there is no "attitude problem" within the dressing room.

"It was a difficult game. We fought back but have to be more focused," Koeman told Movistar post-match. "We made more of an effort in the second half to win the game but didn't create as many chances as we wanted. 

"I don't think it was to do with an attitude problem. There was an irregularity to the whole game. We lost balls and doubted ourselves."

Azam FC tactician George Lwandamina has openly claimed he will have to sign a few players in the mini-transfer window if the team is to remain among the title contenders.

The Chamazi-based giants started the season on a flying start managing to win seven straight matches from the opening fixture and were leading the log for most of the early stages before they lost to Mwadui FC.

After the defeat, they moved to fire Romanian coach Aristica Cioaba and went for the services of the much-travelled Lwandamina, who has so far overseen two matches, both ending in 2-2 draws against Namungo FC and Ruvu Shooting.

The Zambian coach has now said in order for the team to challenge for the title, he will have to beef up a few areas in the squad in the on-going transfer window.

“There is nothing I will promise at the moment about the signing of new players but I will sit down with the directors of the club to find out what I will do during this transfer period,” Lwandamina said as quoted by Sokalabongo.

“Every day there is a lot of competition which also contributes to the league being tough and good, and the Tanzanian league is now getting bigger as people are being reached with information wherever they are unlike in the past.

“So we must be actively involved to make sure we beef up the areas I feel need improvement; it will all depend with the club bosses but we need to improve a few areas if we are to remain in title contention.”

Against Ruvu Shooting at the Chamazi complex, the ‘Ice-cream Makers’ took a deserved lead in the 34th minute when striker Ayoub Lwanga headed home from a corner kick but Emmanuel Martin levelled matters for Ruvu in the 53rd minute.

Azam regained the lead in the 60th minute when Mudathir Yahya powered home from close range but the goal was not enough to end their bad run as Fully Zullu Maganga ensured Ruvu got a point from the tie in the 70th minute.

The draw left them in third spot on 28 points while Yanga SC, who beat Dodoma Jiji 3-1 on Sunday, are top with 37 points from 16 matches and champions Simba SC, who edged out KMC 1-0 on Thursday, are second with 32 points from 14 matches.

Gor Mahia players have threatened to boycott their Caf Champions League game away to Chabab Riadhi de Belouizdad if they are not paid their dues. 

K'Ogalo players have been on a go-slow and Goal understands they held a meeting with some officials on Saturday and made it clear they will not travel to Algeria for the game if they are not paid.

"We have not been paid our November monies as well as this [December] month," a senior player in the team told Goal on Sunday.

"Yes, we had a meeting on Saturday and our stand was made clear. The office should pay us our allowances and salaries before we talk about the Algeria trip."

"As it stands, nobody has communicated to us regarding the logistics of the game. We are in the dark over everything, but again, they cannot tell us because our stand has been made clear."

Rumours emanating from the club indicate it is struggling to get the means of transport to Algeria. However, Goal understands the team is struggling to get the money to facilitate the trip.

When reached for comment over the Gor Mahia saga, FKF CEO Barry Otieno revealed the club had already been given the flight route to use and it will be surprising if they don't make it to Algeria.

"Gor Mahia have been given all the alternative routes to Algeria and if they don't travel then it will not be because of airspace issues but maybe their own problems which we don't know and have not been told."

The Kenyan champions qualified for the next phase of the competition after they managed to secure a 4-3 aggregate win against APR of Rwanda in a two-legged affair.

The Rwandan champions came into the return leg with a 2-1 advantage from their first leg meeting in Kigali, but could not sustain the pressure as Gor Mahia scored two quick goals in added time to win 3-1 and advance.

On the other hand, CR Belouizdad of Algeria reached the next round after a 4-0 aggregate win against Al Nasr of Libya. The Algerian champions won the first leg away in Tripoli 2-0 and returned home to complete the job with another 2-0 win to set a date with K'Ogalo.

According to the Confederation of African Football (Caf), the first leg will be played on December 22 or 23 in Algeria, with the return leg planned for January 5 or 6, 2021 in Nairobi.

John Hartson has singled out Willian for criticism, claiming the midfielder "has done nothing" for Arsenal since joining the club in August.

Arsenal snapped Willian up on a free transfer at the end of the 2019-20 campaign, which proved to be the Brazilian's last at Chelsea.

The 32-year-old was initially seen as a major coup for the Gunners given his impressive record at Stamford Bridge, where he scored 63 goals in 339 games while getting his hands on two Premier League titles, one Europa League crown and the FA Cup.

Unfortunately, the former Blues star has been unable to live up to the same high standards during his first few months at Emirates Stadium, drawing blanks in his opening 16 appearances for Mikel Arteta's side while only contributing three assists.

Willian's performances have been called into question amid Arsenal's slide towards the relegation zone, which continued with a 2-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The Gunners are now only four points above 18th placed Burnley having played two games more, with their pre-season target of a top-four finish now seemingly well out of reach.

Hartson thinks several members of Arteta's squad have been guilty of resting on their laurels in recent months, including Willian, who he has slammed for failing to hit the ground running at the start of his career in north London.

“Arsenal got him on a free from Chelsea. It was reported that there were several clubs in the hunt for Willian," the former Arsenal striker told talkSPORT. “He decided to come across London and again he has just not done it.

“These players are living off their past, you know. Willian was outstanding at Chelsea at times, winning trophies, but he’s done absolutely nothing at Arsenal. He’s been poor.”

Willian will likely return to Arteta's starting XI when the Gunners play host to Manchester City in a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash on Tuesday, before focus switches back to the Premier League. Arsenal are set to welcome title-chasing Chelsea to Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day, where they will be aiming to halt a seven-match winless run in the top-flight.