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Kevin-Prince Boateng is bubbling with joy having found the net twice as Monza decimated Virtus Entella 5-0 in Tuesday’s Serie B encounter.

Fuelled by a 2-0 win at Venezia last time out, the White and Reds brought the Black Devils to their knees at Stadio Brianteo, with the former Ghana international finding the net twice.

The 33-year-old began the harvest of goals in the 10th minute after beating goalkeeper Alessandro Russo thanks to an assist from Giuseppe Bellusci.

In the 29th minute of the five-goal thriller, he completed his brace after being released by Marco Ezio Fossati – which he accompanied with an acrobatic goal celebration.

Mario Sampirisi’s double and Dany Mota’s second-half strike completed the rout as Vincenzo Vivarini’s returned home with heads bowed low.

After a notable shift, Boateng was replaced by Davide Frattesi with 22 minutes left to play in the encounter.

Since his two-goal heroics against Werder Bremen on November 9, 2013 during his time at Schalke 04, the midfielder cum forward had found it a near impossible task to score more than one goal in a game.

And having broken the seven-year jinx, the former AC Milan, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund took to social media to celebrate his new-found form.

“Age is just a number, Still Flying,” Boateng tweeted.

He had earlier tweeted to acknowledge the impressive performance of Cristian Brocchi’s team, while urging them to maintain their ‘attitude’.

“Great team performance! Let’s go on with this attitude. Dai Baga.”

Thanks to this result, Monza moved to eighth in the second tier having accrued 20 points from 12 games - five points below leaders Empoli. They are guests of relegation-threatened Pescara in their next outing on Saturday as they continue their chase for a place in the Serie A next term.

After completing a loan move at Besiktas, Monza completed the permanent signing of Boateng on a one-year deal from Fiorentina. The deal includes the option for an additional year if the White and Reds earn a promotion to the Italian topflight.

The move also reunited the 33-year-old with former AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi who took him to the San Siro Stadium during his reign at the club.

Chippa United coach Lehlohonolo Seema says he is certain their next Premier Soccer League (PSL) opponents Orlando Pirates’ MTN8 success is now “water under the bridge” and it would be a huge mistake for his side to think the Buccaneers may still have a 'hangover' from their cup triumph.

Pirates edged Bloemfontein Celtic last Saturday to claim the MTN8 title, their first major trophy since lifting the 2014 Nedbank Cup.

Now the Bucs shift focus to hosting Chippa United in a league match at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday.

While there could be a possibility of over-excitement in the Pirates camp which could distract them from the Chilli Boys assignment, Seema is refusing to let his mind entertain such thoughts.

“That would be suicidal, that would be suicidal for us to say they still have a hangover from the cup,” Seema told the media as per iDiski Times.

“I am sure immediately after they left Durban, it was water under the bridge, as much as it has been long for them since they won the cup. You know the quality that Pirates have got, on Wednesday you don’t even know who you expect to see on the field of play, it’s difficult to plan against them, such quality that they have.”

The MTN8 triumph could also act as a confidence booster which might push Pirates to end their a two match winless run in the league and Seema is aware of the “danger” their hosts pose to his team.

Chippa have been struggling for form this season, having won just one match, drawn two and lost three, a run that has left them fourth from bottom with four points better than basement side Maritzburg United.

Seema noted his side's seriousness in approaching matches especially with Pirates on the horizon.

“We have to make sure that we do not take anything for granted, we don’t get complacent, we’ll have to prepare very well and expect a very difficult game from the MTN8 champions,” said Seema.

“And congratulations to them, tough luck to Bloemfontein Celtic. We are fully aware of the danger of Pirates, that they can pose on the day, because they quality.”

Pirates’ quality could be highlighted by the fact that chief striker Frank Mhango and attacker Terrence Dzvukamanja both spent the entire match on the bench in the victory over Celtic.

Football Kenya Federation Premier League side Sofapaka have settled on Ken Odhiambo as John Baraza’s successor, Goal can report.

Baraza stepped aside from his position after leading the 2009 champions to an unconvincing start to the season and upon leaving, Mike Mururi, who was his assistant, was appointed to spearhead preparations for the next game against Kariobangi Sharks.

A close source at Sofapaka has told Goal, the club’s hierarchy have settled on Bandari’s Odhiambo, who is also an assistant coach for the national side Harambee Stars, to take charge and rescue the season while it is still early.

“Sofapaka had settled on two coaches but Odhiambo is likely to take the job,” the source who preferred anonymity said.

“Sofapaka are now engaging Bandari over the possible release of the coach and they remain hopeful everything will go as targeted.”

Baraza left after the club lost the season opener 1-0 against the Dockers in Mombasa before they picked a 3-1 win against Western Stima.

The 3-0 loss at Kasarani against AFC Leopards on Saturday is the result that saw Baraza consequently step aside as head coach.

“Physical trainer Diallo Kwasi and assistant coach Martin Ndagano have also been dropped from the main team to the club’s youth team,” Sofapaka said as they confirmed other changes at the club.

“We have asked coach Baraza to step aside as we plan to take him for further studies either in Norway or Germany.  

“For now Mururi is in charge of the team as we prepare for our next match against Kariobangi Sharks and we will announce the new head coach anytime from tomorrow [Wednesday].”

In an interview, the club’s President Elly Kalekwa revealed to Goal their next choice would be a local tactician.

“Although Baraza exit could have also been contributed majorly by the performance which has not been good, the main reason is that he is leaving for further studies,” Kalekwa further confirmed in a separate interview with Goal.

“We are likely to settle for a local coach.”

Should the tactician accept and be confirmed as the club’s new coach finally, he will face Tusker, Nairobi City Stars, his former side, Ulinzi Stars, Bidco United and AFC Leopards in his first five matches.

Tomas Trucha was the first coach to leave in the 2019/20 season after he oversaw Ingwe during the opener alone. The Czech cited threats to life as he tendered resignation before he landed another job in Malaysia.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) formally launched its bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in New Delhi during an illustrious event attended by Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, President Praful Patel, former India player Gouramangi Singh and women's national team star Ashalata Devi. 

The Indian FA emphasised that it aims to take Indian football to new heights by working in partnership with the AFC to unlock new commercial opportunities, drive growth and build on an ever-growing love for the sport among the country’s youthful population.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran are among the four AFC Member Associations bidding to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 alongside India. 

Patel mentioned that hosting the Asian Cup will be a unique opportunity to popularise the game in the country. 

"It has taken a lot of hard work to reach the level we are at today, where we can think of hosting international events year on year. The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India left an indelible mark on our country and we're now working towards ensuring FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup go down as two of the most successful women's international football tournaments. 

"We're continuously working on infrastructure upgradation and football development, and India would be honoured to be selected as the host for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. It is an unparalleled opportunity to take Asian football to new heights and create a Brighter Future Together, for India, for the AFC and for our whole continent," he stated. 

Whereas Member of Parliament, Rijiju assured that the government would provide every kind of support to AIFF so that India gets to host the tournament. 

"Hosting Asia's biggest football event, the AFC Asian Cup 2027 will be a huge milestone for Indian sports. Our nation is perfectly poised to host a mega sporting event of this magnitude. We have extensive experience over the last two decades of successfully planning, organising and staging some of the world’s biggest sporting events and are looking forward to hosting two more big events in 2022 - the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and AFC Women's Asian Cup. I assure you that all government support will be given in getting this tournament to India, and making it a memorable one for everyone involved."

The government has been investing heavily in football infrastructure over the years in order to facilitate the growth of the sport and within 2027 the progress will be manifold. It has already hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017 - the most attended FIFA youth tournament in history with a record 1.34 million spectators -and is also due to host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2022.

The India 2027 campaign's logo, revealed at the launch, represents the ambition, commitment, focus and spirit of the bid, epitomised by the royal tiger. The tiger is also an emblem of India’s national team, the Blue Tigers. The slogan, Brighter Future Together, highlights the exceptional opportunity the bid presents for AFC and AIFF to work in partnership and take Indian and Asian football to the next level.

Arsenal technical director Edu has said that the club “need to talk” to William Saliba regarding the young centre-back's future, whilst also admitting that the Gunners are missing a creative spark in the middle of the field.

Saliba signed for Arsenal 18 months ago and was immediately loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the season, with the 19-year-old having been tipped to play a key role for his new club in the 2020-21 campaign.

Things have not gone to plan for the Bondy-born defender, however, with the France Under-20 starlet still to make a competitive appearance for Mikel Arteta's struggling side.

Indeed, Saliba recently commented that he has been “locked up” behind the scenes at the Emirates, while Arteta claimed that the centre-half's future would be “decided soon”.

And Edu has now admitted that the situation needs to be resolved, telling an Arsenal fan forum: “Maybe he needs a little more time.

“He's a bright talent. We need to talk with him and Mikel to plan for next year.”

Arsenal's struggles on the pitch this season are well documented and were further highlighted in their shock 1-0 loss to Burnley last time out. 

An inability to create chances and score goals have some wondering whether Arteta is the right man to lead the club, with the Spaniard having left Mesut Ozil out of the squad entirely for at least the first half of the season.

The door appears to have been opened for a January return for Ozil, however, and Edu admits that the club are in dire need of a creative presence in the centre of the pitch.

“It’s quite clear what we need,” he said. “We need a player with creativity in the middle, we don’t have that in the squad right now.

“As a Brazilian, I’m very open. I’m not scared to say things. We are not comfortable in this situation we’re in. Every single club has problems.”

On a potential rift between Arteta and his players, Edu added: “The stories about a split between the players and Arteta are not true. Stories about players not believing and not trusting Mikel are not true.”

Frank Leboeuf has slammed Kai Havertz for his poor start to life at Chelsea, insisting the £70 million ($61m) midfielder is "almost invisible" on the pitch.

Chelsea beat off competition from a whole host of top European clubs to bring Havertz to Stamford Bridge from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer transfer window.

The Blues tied the 21-year-old, who became one of the top players in the Bundesliga during his time at BayArena, down to a five-year contract after forking out a lofty fee for his services, and Frank Lampard has wasted no time in testing his skills in west London.

The Germany international has already featured in 17 games across all competitions for Chelsea, but has only managed to contribute four goals and four assists to their cause, leading to question marks over his impact.

Havertz's latest underwhelming display came during a 2-1 defeat to Wolves at Molineux on Tuesday night, as the young playmaker struggled to affect the game in any meaningful way before being hauled off for Mateo Kovacic in the 71st minute.

Leboeuf does not believe that a big-money signing has shown any indication of living up to his price tag as of yet, and has suggested that he should have adjusted to his new surroundings by now.

Asked to assess Havertz's performance at Wolves, the former Chelsea defender told ESPN: "Almost invisible. I touched on the point some weeks ago. We heard Frank Lampard say, 'no, we need to give him time'.

"But I don’t know, it’s something that I don’t like, the way sometimes it feels like he’s not there, that he’s not trying to compensate for a lack of confidence with a desire or just being a warrior, showing us that, 'okay, I’m not good at the moment, but I’m going to fight for the club and not be invisible.'

"We share texts during the game and we were wondering if he was on the field. You can be bad – [Timo] Werner didn’t have a good game – but we saw him trying to get something going.

"We don’t see Havertz getting anything. I’m very concerned about that guy.

"I don’t forget the price they paid and I know he’s only 21 but we see players who arrived last summer who didn’t need much time to adapt and being very influential.

"I don’t understand what Havertz is doing right now but I want answers."

Havertz will be back in contention for a place in Lampard's line-up when Chelsea play host to West Ham in a London derby on Monday.

SC Villa coach Edward Kaziba has admitted he was not satisfied with his team’s performance despite a 2-1 win against Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA FC) on Tuesday.

The Jogoos scored a goal in each half to sink the reigning champions at Bombo Military Barracks Grounds and end their fine start to the campaign.

Despite taking the bragging rights of the first season derby, Kaziba has insisted he was not satisfied with the result, claiming his side should have scored more goals.

“Our players were well prepared mentally, I am very happy they executed the instructions given to them by the coaching staff as a result giving us a win in this game,” Kaziba said as quoted by the club’s official website.

“We scored two goals today [Tuesday] but I am not satisfied, our strikers need to improve on their scoring rate as we play more games time. We played as a unit despite the fact we didn't play at the level we wanted, this is a big motivation for the players and I believe we shall continue to improve.”

Striker Ronald Ssekiganda, who was voted man of the match after notching a double said: “I am very happy that as a team we have happy. I am happy to have scored in my derby appearance, a goal which won my team all the three points. I hope to score more beautiful goals for Villa.”

Nicholas Kabonge put the Jogoos ahead three minutes past the half-hour mark after he volleyed the ball into the left bottom corner of the net to send SC Villa supporters into wild cheers.

Benson Muhindo was introduced in the place of Goffin Oyirwot, and was returning from suspension made an instant impact when he beat KCCA defenders with his pace and ran with the ball into the opponents’ box and set up Ssekiganda, who flicked the ball past KCCA goalkeeper Charles Lukwago for Villa’s second of the evening.

KCCA pulled one back from a penalty converted by Brian Ahebwa a minute later and the game ended with Villa claiming a first derby victory over KCCA in three years.

The Kasasiro Boys had won their first three league games before their fall to Villa while the Jogoos came into the game on the back of a 2-1 loss to URA FC but looked a completely different side.

Orlando Pirates assistant coach Fadlu Davids has emphasised that they have to “quickly” suspend MTN8 celebrations and fully focus on Wednesday’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) confrontation against Chippa United at Orlando Stadium.

Pirates are in high spirits after edging Bloemfontein Celtic 2-1 last Saturday to lift the MTN8 trophy, their first piece of silverware since clinching the 2014 Nedbank Cup.

“Of course coming from a fantastic MTN8 victory, lifting the Cup, we are really proud of our players,” Davids told Pirates media.

“I thank our supporters for being behind us. But quickly we have to put the celebrations on hold because the next target is already staring us in the face. That next target is the league and it starts with Chippa United at Orlando Stadium.”

Currently placed sixth on the PSL standings seven points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, a win for Pirates could see them climb as high as third if Baroka FC lose to Celtic on the same evening.

The Buccaneers face a Chippa United side which is struggling for form and sitting fourth from bottom, four points ahead of basement side Maritzburg United.

While Pirates are fresh from tasting cup success, they are however keen to recover from dropping four points in their last two matches which ended in draws against Baroka and Cape Town City.

“Our last league match against Cape Town City we did not get what we deserved for all our chances, for our dominance,” Davids said.

“Not getting the result that we wanted but still coming back home with a 2-2 draw. So we now know that the Chippa United game is a match when we can rectify that, converting our chances is the main key focus for us to be able to collect the three points.”

Pirates’ last four games across all competitions have also seen them coming from behind to avoid defeat.

The Buccaneers are yet to lose a match this season and the last time they tasted league defeat was during the PSL bio-bubble in August when they lost to Cape Town City.

In all competitions, they have gone for 13 consecutive matches undefeated.

Kenya international Victor Wanyama has admitted he was disappointed after Montreal Impact failed to make it to the Concacaf Champions League on Wednesday.

Although Montreal Impact emerged 1-0 winners, they were eliminated as they tied on a 2-2 aggregate, and Club Olimpia of Paraguay advanced courtesy of the away goals rule.

The Canadian outfit inflicted Olimpia's first loss after they enjoyed an unbeaten record across all competitions; a period that dates back before coronavirus shook the football world.

Wanyama, who featured in the match, has admitted he was left disappointed with the outcome of the game because it was not the result he wanted.

“Disappointed with today’s [Wednesday] result as we wanted to have a good run in the Concacaf Champions League but we got knocked out in quarter-final,” Wanyama wrote on his Instagram page. “We will be back stronger, it has been a very difficult season for all of us and hopefully next season our fans will be back in the stadiums.”

Wanyama, who joined Montreal Impact from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, also hinted at playing for the Major League Soccer (MLS) side in the new campaign.

“I want to thank the fans for all the extraordinary support you have given us despite the difficult circumstances which were beyond our control, the coaching staff my family, and everyone involved with Montreal Impact.

“I wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy new year, enjoy your holidays and see you next season.”

In a previous interview, coach Thierry Henry explained why the players should not be entirely sad despite exit.

“We’re out so the emotion is, obviously we’re sad of being out,” Henry said after the game as per MLS Soccer. “But we beat a team that didn’t lose a game for a very long time, and rightly so, by the way. But we couldn’t score the second goal.”

Montreal Impact would have progressed had Rudy Camacho been clinical enough with a late chance but Henry did not blame him and chose to pick other factors that might have affected them.

“If Rudy scored that would have been the cherry on the cake but obviously it didn't happen,” added the Arsenal great.

“But I'm proud of my team. Once again, what can I say? We didn’t train for two weeks, we were in quarantine, guys were missing, we trained six times only – seven times but the day before the game, you don’t count that – and we performed.”

The match against Olimpia was Wanyama’s first game since representing Kenya in the November international assignments while Uganda international Mustafa Kizza also started as he continues to enjoy minutes since his November arrival.

Mamelodi Sundowns star midfielder Themba Zwane has downplayed their performance in the 2-0 Premier Soccer League (PSL) victory over TS Galaxy, saying “we didn’t play the way we wanted” amid a difficult time for the club.

Going into the match following reports that Downs defender Motjeka Madisha died in a car crash on Sunday, and also without two coaches on their bench, the Brazilians persevered through an emotional evening to maintain a two-point gap on top of the PSL standings.

Although Zwane is not convinced with the way they played, it was yet another polished display by Sundowns especially the goals scored by Zwane and Peter Shalulile.

Man-of-the-Match Zwane struck his seventh goal of the season in seven games and also provided an assist in another prolific showing by the Bafana Bafana star.

“I just want to thank my teammates for the effort, we fought today,” Zwane told SuperSport TV.

“We didn't play the way we wanted to but we managed to get two goals and what matters is the three points at the end of the day. We are happy with the three points.”

Following the reported death of Madisha, Sundowns cancelled Sunday’s training session and had a workout on Monday ahead of hosting TS Galaxy.

Steve Komphela led the technical bench in the absence of the suspended Manqoba Mngqithi, while the absence of Rhulani Mokwena was not explained.

“It was difficult, obviously it was mental, coach Steve told us we need to be strong mentally so that we can push for this game and win it,” said Zwane.

“Honestly we had one day [of training] yesterday [Monday]. On Sunday we didn't train obviously we were not well as a team, we took a break and trained yesterday and we tried to watch TS Galaxy, their strengths, so we can plan against them.”

Sundowns now prepare for their next match as they travel to Durban for a date with Golden Arrows on Saturday.

It will be a return to KwaZulu-Natal where they were recently frustrated by a 1-1 draw with basement side Maritzburg United.

West Brom have sacked head coach Slaven Bilic just one day after their impressive draw against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

The Baggies pulled off one of the surprise results of the season by earning a 1-1 draw away at City on Tuesday night, with a Ruben Dias own goal cancelling out Ilkay Gundogan's opener in the first half.

Despite seeing his side pick up a credible point in Manchester, Bilic has now been relieved of his managerial duties, with West Brom confirming his departure via their website.

"West Bromwich Albion have today parted company with Head Coach Slaven Bilic" an official statement released by the club on Wednesday reads.

"Assistant Coaches, Dean Računica and Danilo Butorović, and First Team Coach Julian Dicks have also left the club with immediate effect.

"Albion would like to thank Slaven and his coaching staff for their efforts in achieving promotion last season and wishes them all well in the future. 

"The club will make no further comment at this time."

More to follow.

After holding Jamshedpur FC to a 0-0 draw, in spite of playing the lion's share of the match with 10-men, Robbie Fowler had claimed that a 'better (version of) East Bengal' will be seen in the next game. But to the utter dismay of the fans, their performance went southward against Hyderabad FC as they went down 3-2 on Tuesday evening.

Fowler made a few changes to his line-up with C.K.Vineeth and Jeje Lalpekhlua starting upfront but the two strikers were isolated as they didn't get any service. Vineeth had seven touches in the first half while Jeje had 10 to his name.

On the other hand, Hyderabad went all guns blazing right from the off and utilised their flanks to put pressure on East Bengal's backline. The likes of Mohammed Yasir and Hitesh Sharma made sure that they kept delivering crosses inside the box for Aridane Santana, who came tantalisingly close on quite a few occasions to break the deadlock in the first half.

East Bengal were completely outclassed by the Hyderabad youngsters. Their two strikers ran around aimlessly for the majority of the match and as usual, the onus was on Anthony Pilkington and Jacques Maghoma to create as well score goals. owler, after the Jamshedpur match, had said that the Indian players need to support the two foreigners but Lalpekhlua and Vineeth could hardly make any impact whatsoever.

The backline looked extremely ordinary and porous. Liston Colaco was introduced at half-time and the winger toyed with East Bengal's defence at will. Narayan Das could not deal with his pace and gave away a free-kick from which the Nizams levelled the score and it was his assist which saw Aridane score his second of the game. 

Much was expected from Scott Neville, but the manner in which the Goan teased him with stepovers before finally getting past the Australian to set up the third goal for Halicharan Narzary was certainly an embarrassment for the veteran defender.

Fowler, after the match, once again vented out his frustration and said, "I just think we are a team that is built for the I-League. The recruitment process for this team was for the I-League and then we were catapulted to the ISL. Now its up to the players to show that they are good enough for the ISL."

The current squad clearly lack quality, fitness and are far from being consistent. They are lacking in concentration and switch off at critical junctures. To concede twice in less than a minute is unacceptable and that too giving away cheap possession is downright farcical. 

Out of the five matches, they have lost four.  With just a point, they continue to languish at the bottom of the league table. 

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Gavin Hunt was disappointed with his side's poor finishing and mistakes following their defeat to SuperSport United on Tuesday night.

The Soweto giants extended their winless run to five matches in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Matsatsantsa in Tshwane.

Hunt's side dominated the match, but they could not convert their goal-scoring opportunities with Lebogang Manyama and Dumisani Zuma guilty of missing clear cut chances. 

"We didn't win. I think we deserved it. I thought we had so many chances in the first half. There were no problems," Hunt told SuperSport TV. 

"But once we had crept in and then they are 1-0 up at half-time when we could have been three or four to the good in the first-half.

"And then we fought and we had unbelievable chances again. But we didn't take them. We have to defend better. We can't commit the errors we were making."

The opening goal came after Chiefs captain Itumeleng Khune made a mistake as he gave away possession and the home side scored through Bradley Grobler.

Philani Zulu made things worse for Amakhosi as he was sent off for making a dangerous tackle on Ghampani Lungu in the 64th minute and Hunt's men had to carry on with 10 players. 

"Yeah, we had mistakes. We have to stick together and we will try to eradicate it. We have to really look at it. We will go back and look at the situation and take it from there," he said. 

"We are certainly not having the rub of the green but that is football. Sometimes you have to work a little bit harder to achieve a little bit more. 

"As I said at half-time we had those three, four unbelievable chances under the crossbar just to finish them off and you turn the other way around. That is football."

SuperSport doubled their lead through Sipho Mbule, before Manyama scored Chiefs' consolation goal from the spot-kick after the visitors were awarded a late penalty. 

Hunt admitted that it is one of the toughest periods in his coaching career with Amakhosi having been unable to register new players during the last transfer window due to a Fifa ban. 

"Yeah, it is because of the situation. But we knew once the season started what the situation was," he said. 

"We are coming off an unbelievable situation. We have to knuckle down and try to eradicate these situations." 

Chiefs are set to take on Bloemfontein Celtic in a league match at FNB Stadium on Saturday. 

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa has revealed he was saddened to see Mathare United and Zoo FC removed from the FKF Premier League.

The two ‘rebel clubs’ were finally suspended from the top-flight and scrapped from the 2020-21 fixtures after they refused to endorse the broadcast deal between FKF and StarTimes.

According to Mwendwa, they gave the teams more than enough time to sign the document but they refused and as FKF they did not have any other option rather than to remove them from the league.

“I am saddened that the effort put by the two clubs to reach where they are and what they are doing now,” Mwendwa said as quoted by FKF Media.

"Mathare United was formed in 1994, I was in form one, surely then they have refused to sign a contract and they don’t have an alternative, how will they get help, I am saddened but we don’t have options, the only decision we had was to remove them.

Mwendwa has now urged the teams to wait for next season and join the National Super League (NSL) but under the same conditions as the top league.

“Now they have to wait until next year and join NSL but they should be aware that we also have sponsors in the lower tier so it will be difficult for them again, and division one also we have sponsors, so they will have to follow the law or stay out,” Mwendwa continued.

“The only option they have now is to come to NSL next season but they should know also in NSL they will be required to sign an endorsement [similar to that in the top-flight for sponsors], so I don’t know if they will be ready to sign it.”

Mwendwa has also revealed how FKF made repeated efforts to have the two teams endorse the document before they were finally suspended.

“We wrote to them for five weeks and asked them to sign the endorsement, the sponsor is waiting and also reminded them if they keep delaying the sponsor will walk away and the other teams that have signed will continue to suffer [without money], but they refused.

“Every week, we wrote them letters, every week we talked to the clubs, every week we sent emissaries to talk to them but they refused and stood the ground saying they cannot sign the endorsement, we don’t want StarTimes to show our matches.

“It is good to know that FKF Premier League is not for one club but for many clubs, the league belongs to FKF and the constitution states clearly the league belongs to FKF and is planned by FKF and not for one club, and the constitution says the rights are for FKF and for all members and how to spend the sponsorship it is the prerogative of the National Executive Committee of FKF to decide.”

Mwendwa continued: “NEC are the ones to put regulations, on how have we used the sponsorship, NEC sat in 2018 and said all the rights are for FKF and sold by FKF and NEC will decide how the money will be shared.

“For five weeks we wrote to Mathare United and Zoo we even asked them what is your problem, they said they want to see the sponsorship, we gave it to them and they read through and said it is okay, they asked how much will we get, we gave them everything.

“Every week we kept asking them when are you signing, then it reached match day one we told them we will postpone their matches as you decide, we entered match day two, and they had not signed yet and we postponed their matches again.

“When it reached match day three, we did not have any options, we called for NEC meeting to discuss the way forward now that the clubs had refused to sign and they were wasting our time and also spoiling sponsorship for other clubs and we decided to axe them.”

The suspension of the two teams means the Kenyan league will now feature 16 teams.

Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat explained that while physicality is an important aspect of football, his team don’t necessarily look to commit fouls. He acknowledged that he has strong players in his squad but they use their physique to their advantage well within the rules of the game.

“Every game is physical. In the end we are in a professional sport and physicality is very important. I am very happy with my players because we play within the rules. I think that we are a physical team with good physical players like Ashique (Kuruniyan) and Suresh (Wangjam) also the big guys like Erik (Paartalu) and Juanan, they are really fit. But at the same time, we are team who do not commit a lot of fouls and we are playing the game in the right way,” said Cuadrat.

The Spanish boss was questioned on his decision to bench Udanta Singh in their last two outings and whether he would play a bit-part role from the bench this term. It must be pointed that the winger signed a contract extension at the end of last season which will keep him at Bengaluru until 2022-23 season.

“Udanta is a very valuable player for us. He is from the national team, he has good pace and it is important to have players with good pace because they break the defensive line of the other team. But at the same time, I have to try to get a balance team and I think that now Cleiton (Silva) playing on the right and Suresh helping us in the center of the pitch, we have a good balance in the team.

“So it is true that in the last two games, I have been using Udanta to try to take advantage of the space when the game is more open. So I am happy with the performance of him against NorthEast United and Kerala Blasters. It is good for the team that he appears in the second half,” reasoned the Bengaluru coach.

Odisha FC have been in poor run of form this season as they are yet to register a single win. Not just their results, but their performance has failed to uplift the mood in the squad. Cuadrat was asked if his team could possibly get complacent against a team who are in the bottom half of the Indian Super League (ISL) table.

“I know my players very well, there is no complacency. There is no room for that. They are very competitive and for sure, they will try to get the three points. But at the same time, we know how football is. We have seen a lot of games where the team who is not getting results suddenly change things.

“For sure teams like Odisha are very dangerous. We are all conscious of that. We know that they have been fighting for the points, it was not happening until now but one of these days they will win a game because they have the quality for that. They have a good coach (Stuart Baxter), good players and so it has to happen.

“So, there is no question that we are ready for the game and we are not overconfident. We are never complacent against any team in the ISL because we know that any team can beat any team in this league,” explained Cuadrat.

He further elaborated by stating that Odisha have some important players in their ranks such as Diego Mauricio and Cole Alexander. Cuadrat also mentioned that they have been analysing the strengths and weakness of their opposite team in order to devise a game-plan for Thursday’s match.

“We saw Diego Mauricio scoring wonderful goals against Jamshedpur. He was also very important for the team when they were losing and they came back from being two goals down, that shows they have mental strength. They also have two powerful central defenders with a lot of experience. I especially like Cole Alexander.

“I think he is one of those players who give a lot to the team. He has a good background and experience in international games for South Africa and he is one of those quite players who is doing a lot for the team. So, we have been studying the opponents and we will try to avoid their tricks and try to manage the game.”

Rahul Bheke was rested in the last game against Kerala Blasters and instead Pratik Chaudhari was handed an opportunity to partner Juanan at the back.

“We are preventing Rahul Bheke for the game. He will not be in the list but it is just a prevention because of his muscle situation. We are going to have him for the next game,” said Cuadrat.

KMC FC have vowed to halt Simba's run to the top of the Mainland Premier League table when the two sides clash on Wednesday at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi are keen to win their two matches in hand so as to catch up with table-toppers and rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC).

However, KMC Media Officer Christina Mwagala has stated their team has prepared well for the match and they don’t fear Simba.

“We are not afraid of tomorrow's [Wednesday’s] game because we are well prepared, we have a strong squad, the players are good who can meet any team and we got results,” Mwagala told Sokalabongo.

“Our players are ready for the match and we will go into the battle needing victory, so our opponents must be ready to lose as it is within our power to make sure we get the three points that are important.

“We know they have come out on top to win against Mbeya City [in their last game], but that does not mean if they meet KMC FC they will also get a good result, for us we are prepared and ready to beat them, they should know we are ready.”

KMC have not beaten Simba in the last two seasons (both home and away) but did manage a victory in a friendly played at Azam’s Chamazi Complex last season.

Mwagala is confident the current squad is ready to erase the bad record against the champions.

“So according to the record [we have not beaten them in two seasons], but the squad in the 2020/2021 season is determined to break the record to ensure that no game will be lost and instead we will go on to emerge the winners.”

The giants are beaming with confidence having beaten Mbeya City by a solitary goal with striker and captain John Bocco notching the winner.

Simba will also welcome back striker Chris Mugalu, who has been out injured and could be given the chance to play against KMC.

Egypt are in danger of missing out of the 2021 U20 Africa Cup of Nations after losing their first game to Libya without even kicking a ball.

The Young Pharaoh needed 11 starters and four substitutes to take part in their opener against the Junior Mediterranean Knights, however, they fell a man short owing to their recent positive coronavirus cases.

As a result of this, coach Rabie Yassin’s boys forfeited maximum points to the Libyans despite their presence at the match venue.

17 members of the Egyptian U20 team had returned positive Covid-19 tests a day before their first game in the 2021 U20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers versus Libya in Tunisia.

Nevertheless, the Egyptian football body rejected the result and managed to secure another round of tests on Monday evening after meeting with the Tunisian football authorities.

 “The youth team manager Rabie Yassin, called for an immediate swab on all members of the mission in Tunisia,” a statement from Efa read.

“The Egyptian team, born in 2001, conducted a medical examination for the mission in Tunisia after the results showed that 17 players, in addition to the technical director Rabie Yassin, were infected with the Coronavirus.

“The Egyptian Federation demanded from the North African Union to conduct a swab in another accredited laboratory, and a meeting is now taking place between the Medical Committee of the North African Union and the Egyptian national team doctor Walid Mazhar to study the matter.

However, a tweet by EFA on Tuesday morning announced that the second test had Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Shehata and Mahmoud Saber Abdel Moneim return negative

“The results of the second swab performed on the youth team proved that the result of the smear of three players turned negative, namely Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Shehata and Mahmoud Saber Abdel Moneim. This morning, the test of Mr. Attia and Mahmoud Abdel Mohsen is repeated and also confirmed the positive sample of Rabie Yassin, technical director of the Young Pharaohs.”

Assuming the match result stands, Egypt must now defeat Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco to ensure their qualification for the 2021 Africa U20 Cup of Nations billed for Mauritania. There, Africa’s four representatives for the Fifa World Cup would be determined.

Simba SC have confirmed new signing Taddeo Lwanga will likely feature for the side when they take on KMC FC in a Mainland Premier League match on Wednesday.

The Ugandan winger signed for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi on December 2 for an undisclosed fee after leaving Egyptian club Tanta SC but was yet to make a start for the team as the transfer window was still closed.

However, Simba have now confirmed in a statement obtained by Goal the player will be in contention to face KMC at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

“This is because the mini-transfer window is open since December 15; thus Simba will have the opportunity to use Lwanga in the match and the forthcoming Caf Champions League match against FC Platinum of Zimbabwe,” read the statement from Simba.

“Lwanga is a free player, after completing his contract with Egyptian Premier League club, Tanta SC.”

The statement further continued: “He has been signed to replace Gerson Fraga who recently underwent knee surgery due to an injury he picked earlier this season. Fraga will be out of action for more than six months so he was allowed to return to Brazil to oversee his treatment.”

In a recent interview, Simba coach Sven Vandenbroeck explained why he signed Lwanga.

“As you know, Gerson [Fraga] was ruled out for six to eight months meaning we had only one holding midfielder Jonas [Mkude],” Vandenbroeck explained as quoted by Daily News.

“This means Fraga will be missed for the whole season hence, we had to get another player to fill his void.

"I would have loved to have him [Fraga] for the whole season but unfortunately, he will not be able to play any game this season. It is unlucky for Fraga to be out of action for eight months and his contract expires at the end of the season.”

Simba are keen to win their two matches in hand starting with the KMC game so they can catch up with Yanga at the top of the 18-team league table.

Yanga are on 37 points while Simba are second on 19.

Simba will also use the match to polish the squad for crucial second preliminary round Champions League match against FC Platinum on December 22.

Orlando Pirates will resume their Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign when they welcome Chippa United at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday.

The Buccaneers are in a celebratory mood after clinching the MTN8 title over the weekend with a win against Bloemfontein Celtic in Durban.

However, coach Josef Zinnbauer will be determined to ensure that Pirates returned to winning ways in the league having drawn their last two matches in this competition.

Bucs, who remain undefeated this season, are up against a Chippa side who are wounded after they let a 1-0 lead slip in their 2-1 defeat to Baroka FC a fortnight ago.

Coached by former Pirates captain Lehlohonolo Seema, the Chilli Boys will be looking to snap their three-match winless run in the league when they take on the Buccaneers.

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

The game will be shown live on SuperSport TV

Squads & Team News

Pirates will be without the services of Thabang Monare, who has been ruled out of the match against Chippa after picking an injury during the cup clash with Celtic.

However, Zinnbauer has the luxury to replace the experienced midfielder with either Nkanyiso Zungu or Linda Mntambo, while Siphesihle Ndlovu is also an option.

The German tactician will look to Thembinkosi Lorch after the versatile attacker inspired the Soweto giants to a 2-1 win over Celtic and he could be key to a victory over an unpredictable Chippa side.

Meanwhile, Chippa midfielder Raymond Sibeko will miss the encounter against Pirates due to suspension after he was sent off during the Eastern Cape-based side's defeat to Baroka.

However, Seema's side has been boosted by the arrival of Uganda international Ismail Watenga with the goalkeeper having joined the club as a free agent over the weekend.

Lesotho-born mentor Seema will be hoping that Bienvenu Eva Nga, who scored the first hat-trick of the current season, rediscovers his scoring touch and inspires the team to a much-needed win over Bucs.

Match Preview

Pirates are unbeaten their last nine matches in the PSL having recorded five wins and four draws.

The Soweto giants are also undefeated in their last seven home matches in the league - registering four draws and three victories as the hosts.

While Chippa are enduring a three-match winless run in the PSL having registered two defeats and one draw.

They have also failed to win their last five away matches in the league - recording three defeats and two draws on the road. 

In head-to-head stats since the 2012/13 season, Chippa and Pirates have met in 14 league matches.

Bucs have dominated this fixture recording 10 wins compared to three for the Chilli Boys, while one game has been drawn.

Pirates also completed a league double over Chippa last season as they emerged 2-1 winners both home and away with Tshegofatso Mabasa and Frank Mhango each scoring braces for Bucs.