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Joachim Low is still the right man to lead Germany down a "rocky path" despite their humiliating 6-0 loss to Spain, according to the country's top football figure.

Needing only a point to secure a place at next year's Nations League Finals, Germany were embarrassed in Seville as La Roja triumphed through a Ferran Torres hat-trick and goals from Alvaro Morata, Rodri and Mikel Oyarzabal.

It was the 2014 World Cup-winners' heaviest defeat since they lost to Austria in a friendly in 1931 by the same scoreline, as Manuel Neuer, who set a new record for a German goalkeeper by winning his 96th cap, conceded six goals in a competitive game for the first time in his career.

The manner of the defeat, described by Low as "awful", was particularly concerning. Germany failed to muster a shot on target, had just 30 per cent of the possession, and Toni Kroos (43) was the only player from the visitors to have more successful passes than Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon (41).

It also cast a poor reflection on Low's decision last year to tell Germany stalwarts Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller they had no future with the national team, as the 60-year-old put his faith in younger players.

Fritz Keller, the president of the German Football Federation (DFB), admits there was always likely to be some difficult moments as Germany went through a transition period before Euro 2020.

However, he remains confident Low can turn things around and create a team capable of challenging next year, as well as at the 2022 World Cup and the Euros on home soil in four years' time.

"We had a black evening in Seville, which hurt us," Keller said in a statement. "The viewers at home, me, the coach, the players.

"I was in the dressing room after the final whistle and I felt everyone's extreme disappointment. But also the will to correct this feeling.

"Our young team can grow from the severe setback if this game, in which not only heart and passion were missing, is analysed carefully and the necessary conclusions are drawn. They have the potential.

"We made a conscious decision to bring about the change with many new and young players with perspective. As was seen yesterday, this path can be the more rocky one and also lead to painful defeats.

"But even if we all wished to get out of this difficult and, up until then, successful year of international matches, our challenge is still to form a strong team for the next three major tournaments: the European Championship next year, the 2022 World Cup and the European Championship on home soil in 2024."

The implementation of the bio-bubble and strict Covid-19 protocols in place in Qatar have come in for high praise from Shanghai SIPG head coach Vitor Pereira. 

The East Zone matches of the 2020 AFC Champions League which had been halted due to the pandemic back in March have kick-started in Qatar from Wednesday. Pereira feels that Qatar have created the right atmosphere for the tournament to go ahead. 

It must be noted that West Zone matches of the competition were also completed in Qatar back in September. 

Shanghai SIPG are set to take on Sydney FC at the historic Khalifa International Stadium on Thursday afternoon in their Group H opener. Pereira, who manages a team that has notable names like Hulk, Oscar and Ricardo Lopes, paid tribute to the Qatari officials who helped make the completion of the tournament a reality. 

"Qatar has created the right conditions to play this tournament," the former FC Porto, Olympiakos and Fenerbahce coach said. "We all currently live in very difficult times, but the country has done everything in terms of protocols to help get this game played. We’re happy about that and we’re looking forward to the tournament." 

“This tournament means a lot to me personally, so we are happy to be here and happy to play," he added. 

The matches are set to be held in the four venues, including three which have been developed for the 2022 World Cup which kicks off in two years' time as well. The facilities on offer at these venues have also come in for high praise from several participating players. 

Sydney FC midfielder Paolo Retre was left impressed by the Khalifa international stadium. "I’ve had a look around the stadium and it’s fantastic. The facilities are great and I’m sure the boys will love playing here," he said. 

Meanwhile, Choi Kang-hee, head coach of Shanghai Shenhua, who defeated Perth Glory 2-1 in their tournament opener on Wednesday was left in awe of the venue - Education City stadium. He feels it belongs in the same pantheon as the greatest football stadiums in the world. 

It must be noted that Kang-hee is a legend at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors whose home stadium is the Jeonju World Cup Stadium which was built specifically for the 2002 World Cup. 

"In addition to the 2002 WC stadiums in South Korea, my work has taken me to a lot of great stadiums all over the world. The facility here (Education City Stadium) has impressed me a lot. For our players to play in such a top quality pitch and such excellent conditions and facilities – we are really satisfied," he stated. 

Bordeaux manager Jean-Louis Gasset has revealed Samuel Kalu will not be rushed back to action after returning from an injury.

The 23-year-old suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty with Nigeria in their friendly against Algeria in Austria in October.

The fleet-footed winger has since been out of action, missing the Super Eagles double-header against Sierra Leone.

Kalu was also unavailable for the Girondins' last four games, against Marseille, Nimes, Monaco and Montpellier.

The forward has now recovered from the injury problems and rejoined his Bordeaux teammates in training on Monday.  

The Girondins will take on Rennes in their next league game at Roazhon Park on Friday and Gasset has explained the forward may not start the match.

"Samuel Kalu resumed training with us on Monday after five weeks of hiatus. You have to be very careful and patient," Gasset said in a pre-match press conference.

"I don't think he will start but we will gradually introduce him so that he will be there during the month of December.

"The matches will be close together, we will need everyone. We have sent this message to the team."

Kalu has been with the Girondins since the summer of 2018 when he joined the side from Belgian First Division A club Gent.

The Super Eagles winger has featured in more than 45 games across all competitions for the Matmut Atlantique outfit since his arrival at the club.

In the current campaign, Kalu has been delivering impressive performances before the injury setback, scoring two goals in six league games.

Kalu will hope to play a part for Bordeaux against Rennes as he continues his gradual return to action.

Gor Mahia striker Benson Omalla is the star player in the Kenya U20 squad for the Cecafa tournament to be staged in Tanzania.

Kenya coach Stanley Okumbi has named the travelling party for the regional competition with Omalla, who signed for K’Ogalo from Western Stima, the star attraction.

The team also has players who played for the Kenya U17 team at the 2019 Africa U17 Cup of Nations Qualifiers, and the Union of North African Federations (Unaf) U17 tournament in Egypt in 2019.

Among them are Maxwell Mulili, Bixente Otieno, Boniface Mwangemi, Alphonse Omija, Kevintom Machika, and Nicholas Omondi. Also included in the squad are Chapa Dimba na Safaricom hotshots Enoch Wanyama and Omala.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) confirmed the Confederation of African Football (Caf) had ordered the Cecafa U20 tournament to be played behind closed doors.

According to TFF secretary general Wilfred Kidao, their efforts to convince Caf to have fans during the competition have hit a snag since the African body feels it is a tournament for junior players and Covid-19 protocols must be adhered to.

“Caf are the main sponsors of the tournament because it will produce two teams that will qualify for the 2021 U20 tournament in Mauritania, and for that, they have asked us to follow the protocol," Kidao told reporters in Dar es Salaam.

“Most tournaments under Fifa and Caf are adhering to Covid-19 protocols and saw all the matches have their own rules, so they have asked us as the host to follow the rules to the letter, we have tried to tell them we don’t have Covid-19 in Tanzania, but they have refused.

“We have told them our country has moved on and everything is back to normal but they have refused, we have also sent them a video of fans attending the derby between Yanga SC and Simba SC but they have also refused to accept our request.”

Kidao continued: “So it now means the U20 matches in Karatwa and Arusha will be played without fans, Caf has said the tournament involves juniors and they have a huge risk of contracting the Covid-19 and so they don’t want fans in attendance.

“We will follow Caf rules, we will adhere to the protocols as laid down and we will do everything to make sure the rules are followed and it is the same thing they did in the Cosafa tournament in South Africa, there were on fans, we really wanted to have fans to support our Tanzania team but the rules have now changed and we don’t have anything we can do.”

Apart from Rwanda and Eritrea who will not take part, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Djibouti, Somalia, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Uganda, will participate in the competition.

Kenya has been pooled in Group C of the tournament that will run from Sunday, November 22, to Wednesday, December 2, 2020, in Arusha.

Rising Stars Squad; Goalkeepers: Maxwell Mulili, Bixente Otieno, Brian Opondo.

Defenders: Boniface Mwangemi, Wardfine Akhatsika, Kelvin Mose, Alphonse Omija, Frank Odhiambo, Lewis Bandi, Fredrick Alushula, Kayci Odhiambo.

Midfielders: Steiner Musasia, Nicholas Omondi, Enoch Wanyama, Ronald Reagan, Alphonse Washe, Mathew Mwendwa, Simon Omondi, Andre Kalama, Danson Kiprono, Ian Simiyu, Austine Odhiambo, Mwakio Kisaka.

Forwards: Benson Omalla, Kevinton Machika, Henry Meja, Sellasie Otieno.

Former South Africa international Katlego Mphela says he is haunted by the fact that he failed to break Benni McCarthy’s record to become Bafana Bafana's all-time top scorer.

Mphela, who retired from professional football three years ago, is considered to be one of the greatest strikers in the history of the PSL having turned out for local giants Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns.

Boasting 53 international caps‚ Mphela netted 23 goals for Bafana and only Shaun Bartlett and McCarthy scored more goals than 'Killer' for the national team with 29 and 31, respectively. 

“I think in terms of life I would say I’m satisfied. Because‚ as you know‚ where I come from, it is a very difficult place to live. And I gave people hope there‚” Mphela told Shoot Online.

“Now if someone mentions the name Brits [Mphela’s home town in North West]‚ or you mention my name‚ people know the place now. And I gave a lot of people believe. Not only in soccer. They believe they can make it in life.

“But I think in terms of sports I look back and I think ‘Jeez‚ I could have broken that record’. The Bafana Bafana record. I look and I could have been more consistent and scored a lot of goals in the PSL."

Mphela feels that he could have achieved more during his time with Sundowns despite having won the PSL Players' Player of the Season and Golden Boot award during his six-year stint with the club.

"I could have gone overseas again‚ or stayed overseas. But you look back again‚ it’s like‚ ‘Nah man. For people to recognise me like this it means I did something’. So I did well. But me being me I don’t think I was always satisfied with what I achieved. Especially after Sundowns won the Champions League," he said. 

“When I was there I didn’t have that motivation – I don’t know why. And then‚ after they won it I was like‚ ‘I could have won this thing’. Because I had it in me – I had the talent. And I could have scored 30 goals a season if it wasn’t for injuries and other things. But I think I did well."

Killer's greatest moment probably came during the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup third-place playoff against Spain when he beat legendary Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas with a free-kick from 30 yards which sent the match into extra time.

“I can always come back and say I played in the World Cup‚ played against big nations. I scored against Spain and Casillas – that free-kick everyone talks about," he added. 

“And I actually played I think four Africa Cup of Nations‚ and scored in every big tournament I played in. So it’s not a bad career. But the one that haunts me most is the Bafana Bafana record.

"But it happened. When Pitso [Mosimane] left [as Bafana coach]‚ and things changed it was difficult to play for the national team again.

“But we also had easier games where I missed three or four chances‚ we didn’t perform. We were not a bad team but I think we didn’t lose a lot of games‚ but we also didn’t win important games."

Orlando Pirates forward Frank Mhango says the arrival of coach Josef Zinnbauer helped players to be “focused and pushing” in their bid to end a six-year trophy drought.

Pirates last won silverware in 2014 when they claimed the Nedbank Cup and have not clinched the Premier Socer League (PSL) titler since 2012.

Zinnbauer took over the coaching reins from Rhulani Mokwena as Pirates struggled for form, and the German managed to steer the Soweto giants to a third place finish in the PSL.

It was a season in which Mhango flourished, finishing the campaign on 16 goals, the same as Mamelodi Sundowns forward Peter Shalulile who was then turning out for Highlands Park.

“For me last season was wonderful. It was great to join a team like Orlando Pirates and then become one of the top goal scorers in the team,” Mhango told Front Runner.

“It was something I was looking forward to and it is something that is still going to come. When I was still at Wits I told my [then] coach Gavin that I am going to score 15 goals but he was like ‘hey stop joking.

"If you want to score 15 goals you must go and play at Thohoyandou but I said that is what I believe, I am going to score 15 goals.

“Then I did it, I actually scored 16 goals by the grace of God. For me it was just a target I set for myself. I didn’t know that I was going to move from Wits to Orlando Pirates, it is something that happened so quick.

“The moment the coach came everything changed. You could see that everybody was focused and pushing. We started playing as a unit. We came together and we were like ‘guys this is our job, this is what we need to do, let us push ourselves, let us do it together.’

“Then we did it as a team. It was a great feeling because everyone took part in it. It was teamwork for us to do what we did.”

This season has seen Mhango’s progress being blighted by injuries and the Malawian has featured in just two PSL matches, scoring one goal, from the penalty spot against AmaZulu.

But the 28-year-old feels that he can still manage as better outing that last term.

Apart from a good outing on the domestic front, Mhango relishes leaving a mark in Africa as Pirates participate in the Caf Confederation Cup.

“There are a lot of beautiful goals that I have scored, there are still beautiful goals coming. I need to look forward to this season,” said Mhango.

“We didn’t start the season well but in the middle of it we picked up some form and then Covid-19 came so it let us down and we needed to go back home, staying at home and that time the mentality of football was out.

"We lost focus and the momentum we had. It was hard. It was not only us but every team. It was tough.

“At the end of the day we tried to push each other as a team. That was the target [to qualify for the Caf Confederation Cup] because this is a big club in Africa. We deserve to play in Africa.

“That was the target, Even the coach told that ‘guys if we can’t make it number one or number two we still have to play in Africa. That was the target when we started.”

Pirates resume their league campaign by hosting SuperSport United on Saturday.

Mainland Premier League side Namungo FC have reportedly parted ways with head coach Thierry Hitimana.

Hitimana’s exit has been linked with poor results in the ongoing campaign where they have registered four wins, two draws and four losses.

Namungo are currently ninth with 14 points and the struggle has come at a time they are preparing to tackle Al-Rabita of Sudan in the Caf Confederation Cup preliminary round encounter.

The Tanzanian outfit will host their rivals at home first, in a two-legged round which will be held between November 27 and 29.

Hitimana led the club to a top-five finish last season and went all the way to the final stage of the Azam Shield Cup tournament.

They were defeated in the final by Simba SC and earned the Confederation Cup slot by virtue of being the domestic competition finalist as Wekundu wa Msimbazi lifted the trophy as well as the league title.

The Burundian coach had expressed optimism Namungo will overcome their domestic struggle before facing Al Rabita later in the month.

“We have started some homework on the opponents and in the coming days, I will analyse how we will play against them [Al Rabita] in order to come up with a game plan,” Hitimana told IPP Media on Tuesday.

“You know international games need proper preparations and we have done exactly that.”

He also shared his views on why the club was struggling.

“We did not have enough time to prepare for the league and this was due to so many factors that included the coronavirus pandemic. It affected us a lot,” he concluded.

“We will bounce back and come strong and I am very sure of that. I know it is not going to be easy but with the support of everyone, that is very possible to recover fast.”

Namungo’s communication officer Kindamba Namlia echoed Hitimana’s sentiments on their readiness to face the Sudanese side.

“We are not doing well in the league but that does not mean we will not perform in the Caf Confederation Cup,” Kindamba said.

“Let me assure you that the team will be ready for all the Caf assignments.”

Namungo strengthened the squad by signing Steven Sey, Shiza Kichuya, Amani Kyata, Haruna Shamte, Frank Maginge, Fred Tangalu and Jaferry Mohamed before the 2020/21 season began in September.

Frank Lampard has expressed his belief that management is much harder than being a player, with the Chelsea boss admitting that being in charge at Stamford Bridge is far more "consuming". 

Lampard enjoyed a hugely successful 13-year career at Chelsea during his playing days, during which he became the club's all-time record goalscorer, despite being a midfielder.

The ex-England international, who moved to the Bridge from West Ham in 2001, helped the Blues win 13 trophies in total, including three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League.

Lampard left Chelsea in 2014, and went on to take in spells at Manchester City and New York City before hanging up his boots for good in February 2017.

He took up his first head coaching role at Derby County the following year, and guided the Rams to a sixth-place Championship finish in his first season at Pride Park, but they ultimately missed out on promotion after losing the play-off final against Aston Villa at Wembley.

Chelsea saw enough promise in the 42-year-old to bring him back to the club last summer, when he was appointed on a three-year deal following the departure of Maurizio Sarri.

The Blues managed a fourth-place Premier League finish in 2019-20 under Lampard, who received widespread praise for promoting a number of academy stars amid a FIFA-imposed transfer ban.

He has been able to invest heavily in new recruits since the lifting of that ban earlier this year, with the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Thiago Silva now helping the team reach new heights at the start of their latest campaign.

Lampard has thoroughly enjoyed his early years in management, but admits that he had no idea how intense coaching would be after living in a comfortable "bubble" as a player.

"The life of a player is a bubble of selfishness to a degree," he told BBC Sport. "The facts and reality is I realise now it's much harder than playing in terms of it being consuming.

"The life of a manager is 25 people in the squad, staff in the building, problems with different departments. It's so far removed from football.

"When you work for your coaching badges, you have to put time in. Then when you start doing it, you have to practise, you have to fail, get better, fail and have relationships with people you never had as a player.

"Players can easily sit there and say they want to be a manager, then they start the road and say: 'Actually, I want to be a pundit.' I respect it because being a pundit is tough as well but in terms of management I wanted to test the water.

"A manager gets 50 problems a day. It's much more consuming but I love it and couldn't live without it."

Lampard acknowledges the fact his status as a Chelsea legend played a huge part in his appointment, but he is well aware that he won't survive in the role on his reputation alone.

"I can be really open that it helped me get the job - playing 13 years at the club helped me get the job," he added.

"I had to put my ego at the door a bit and say that I might ruin what I achieved in 13 years to a degree - because if it doesn't go well, I will be judged harshly and quickly.

"I am so driven personally that my biggest fear is myself. If I try to pull the wool over your eyes as Chelsea manager, it's not going to work.

"My football career put me in a decent position. So if that job is taken away from me, as long as I go in thinking 'can I do the best job?' then I think that if I have done the best I can, I will be pretty happy."

Mohamed Salah has returned another positive Covid-19 test, the Egyptian Football Association has confirmed, meaning he will have to continue a period of self-isolation.

The Egyptian FA announced on November 14 that the Liverpool star, who was not showing symptoms of the virus, had tested positive for coronavirus despite initial confusion over the test results.

Indeed, they removed an initial statement that confirmed the positive result for Salah before releasing another update soon after that explained a second swab had also returned positive.

And despite there being the potential for a false-positive outcome in the days since - whereby an initial positive test is then followed by a negative result - Salah has now tested positive for Covid-19 again, four days after the initial announcement.

That means that the forward will have to continue a period of self-isolation and he will be unavailable for the Reds' Premier League meeting with Leicester City on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp's side face Atalanta in the Champions League three days after their fixture with the Foxes before then travelling to the Amex Stadium to taken on Brighton on November 28.

Following the latest positive result it's unclear when Salah will now be allowed back into the UK, having returned the positive tests while away on international duty.

It is also unknown how Salah contracted the virus although he has attracted criticism for attending his brother's wedding during the international break.

Former Tottenham striker and ex-Egypt international Mido claimed that the Liverpool sensation had made a "big mistake" by appearing at the wedding, insisting that he "showed great negligence with the steps taken to prevent the coronavirus".

Premier League rules state that a player who tests positive for Covid-19 must self-isolate for a period of 10 days, meaning Salah would've been unavailable to face Brendan Rodgers' side even if he had returned a negative test result.

The latest announcement from the Egyptian FA also confirmed that Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny failed to return a negative test result and he will also have to remain in self-isolation.

The most recent coronavirus figures published by the Premier League stated that between November 9 and November 15, 1,207 players and club staff were tested for Covid-19, with 16 positive cases.

Mikel Arteta says he was "shocked" by the split between fans and the team upon his return to Emirates Stadium, with it his belief that Arsenal have been "badly damaged".

The Gunners turned to their former captain to steady the ship after deciding to sack Unai Emery in November 2019.

Emery was relieved of his duties after overseeing a seven-match winless run, having been hired to replace legendary manager Arsene Wenger 18 months earlier.

Arteta's only previous coaching experience had come at Manchester City, where he spent three years as Pep Guardiola's assistant, but he has since proven his credentials by transforming Arsenal back into a formidable force.

Arsenal finished their last Premier League campaign in impressive fashion under the 38-year-old, and he also masterminded a thrilling run to FA Cup glory, which ended with a 2-1 final victory over Chelsea at Wembley.

Arteta has been attempting to build on that platform at the beginning of the 2020-21 season, with mixed results, and has warned that the "puzzle" he is piecing together at the Emirates will take time to complete.

"You cannot build something new [quickly], when something has been damaged and hurt badly, that you can see a big split between even our own fans and the team," he told the Gunners' official website. "When you were in that stadium 10 months ago, I was shocked. 

"You have to rebuild that [bond]. In order to do that you have to build some foundations, and afterwards start a process. You have to prioritise that process at the start, and where you are going to get to. 

"To do that you need some pieces that have to fill in there, and you have to start to create a puzzle and try to manage it because there will be bad moments and you don't want to break it. 

"All the time you have to be very alert because it takes very little to break what you are building."

The Gunners are scheduled to return to Premier League action away at Leeds United on Sunday.

Arteta saw his side comfortably beaten at home by Aston Villa before the international break, but will be expected to get back to winning ways at Elland Road.

Arsenal will turn their attention to a Europa League meeting with Molde four days later, before preparations for a tough trip to Wolves at the end of the month get under way.

Bastian Schweinsteiger has led calls to reinstate Bayern Munich “leaders” Thomas Muller and Jerome Boateng to the Germany national team in the wake of the 6-0 thumping at the hands of Spain, with Joachim Low's decision to drop the pair coming under heavy scrutiny.

The experienced duo were dropped from the squad in March 2019 as Low looked to begin blooding a new generation of German talents to future-proof the national team for years to come.

Things have not gone exactly to plan, however, with Germany's most recent loss marking their worst defeat since 1931, while Muller and Boateng continue to win silverware at the highest level with their club side.

With all the facts in consideration, Schweinsteiger cannot understand his old national team coach's decision to leave two fellow World Cup winners out of the squad.

“The national coach and his team have one opinion but unfortunately I personally have a different one,” the former midfielder explained to ARD.

“Players like Jerome Boateng and Thomas Muller won the treble with the best team in Europe. They play regularly in the first team and are quality German players. Why aren't they in the national team?

“In games like this especially, it's important to have players on the pitch that are a cut above, who have experience, who have quality. You could see that we don't have the required quality yet.”

Ex-Germany head coach Jurgen Klinsmann echoed his countryman's sentiments, raising questions as to who among the squad can “step it up”, with the European Championship on the horizon.

“Nobody can say why this decision was made besides Joachim Low and his coaching staff,” Klinsmann told ESPN. “We're out of the period now of experimenting with a new back line. 

“Jonathan Tah came in, Rudiger was on site, but nobody could really step it up in that timeframe since the other players left the team.

“The biggest question still is about leadership – who is the real leader of that team? Obviously Manuel Neuer is a very quiet, very strong personality and still an outstanding goalkeeper, but nobody on the field besides Neuer has stepped it up in the last two years.

“The team lacks a leader, it's sad to see. It lacks a personality that after the second or third goal sends out some signals, does something, does a foul, interrupts the game, gets in the face of the Spanish players, and that raises the big question about Thomas Muller.

“Muller is a leader. He's the leader of the pack at Bayern Munich still because he keeps the young players in line. Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry... they all follow Thomas Muller on the field and that's why Bayern is unbeaten in I don't know how long in the Champions League.

“It's a big problem for Germany when we're just six or seven months out from the Euros.”

While many are calling for Low to be sacked, however, Klinsmann believes such action would only worsen the situation.

“There's no need for a new coach because then you panic completely,” he added.

“What message do you send out there? You'd then need to establish a new hierarchy within the team within half a year, which would be very difficult. I don't see a reason to panic and look for a new coach.

“There are a lot of issues to be addressed, so you have to go and fly around places and meet the players individually or in small groups and have a lot of communication between the leaders within that group – whoever they are.”

Ghana coach CK Akonnor believes his team "did well" in their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Sudan on Tuesday despite falling to a 1-0 defeat.

The Black Stars suffered their first loss of the series as Mohamed Abdelrahman scored in the second minute of injury time to secure all three points for the hosts at Al Hilal Stadium in Omdurman.

Ghana, nonetheless, top the table in Group C after four rounds of matches.

“Overall, I think we did well. We lost to a team that showed more hunger than us," Akonnor said after the game.

“If I look at the way we played in Ghana and the way we played here, I feel there is a bit of improvement in terms of containing pressure and all that.

“The players fought under uncomfortable conditions like the weather and the Sudanese tried to frustrate us before the game and I appreciate the player's effort.

"The Sudanese players were hungrier than us. We will learn from the mistakes we did today and we’ll do well against South Africa and Sao Tome and qualify.

"I strongly believe and I can assure Ghanaians that we’ll do our best to qualify."

On Tuesday, Ghana had to do without a host of key players due to injury setbacks and suspension.

Captain Andre Ayew, who scored twice in the 2-0 matchday three home win over Sudan, missed the reverse tie due to injury.

First vice-captain Thomas Teye Partey was also absent due to an injury sustained while in club action for Arsenal while Ajax Amsterdam prodigy Mohammed Kudus also missed the matchday four fixture due to fitness issues. The situation was not any different from that of Real Mallorca midfielder Iddrisu Mohammed Baba.

Ghana second-vice captain goalkeeper Richard Ofori was also suspended for the game due to his accumulation of yellow cards.

"Those who had the chance to play did their part but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for us to carry the day,” Akonnor added.

“Of course we played without many key players, the likes of the captain, Kudus and other people. And so looking at all this, I believe that we did well."

Ghana will play away to South Africa in their next game of the qualifiers in March 2021 before closing the group with a home tie against bottom-placed Sao Tome and Principe. 

The Football Kenya Federation National Executive Committee has appointed a Premier League Management Committee (PMC) ahead of the 2020/21 season.

The committee will be chaired by KCB FC chairperson Azu Ogola while Dan Shikanda of AFC Leopards, Robert Maoga of Kariobangi Sharks FC, Western Stima’s Laban Jobita, John Terry of Posta Rangers, Sofapaka’s Elly Kalekwa and Dennis Gicheru of Wazito FC are the other members.

Meanwhile, former Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) official David Thairu has been appointed as the FKF Premier League Manager.

“Thairu has been appointed the FKF PL League Manager and will be tasked with overseeing the league’s operations,” a statement from FKF obtained by Goal read.

“David is a university lecturer, former Fifa/FMARC - Project leader for Africa and former CEO, MYSA.

“At the same time, Grace Mwelu has been appointed the league’s Communication and Marketing Manager. The decision to establish the PMC has been necessitated by the need to maintain the league’s independence and safeguarding the interests of all participating clubs.”

Thairu and the PMC’s reign will start with new hope for the clubs who ran without a sponsor in the 2019/20 season. The financial constraints that came after SportPesa’s exit saw clubs struggle and Sony Sugar, after giving three walkovers, were relegated.

Chenmelil Sugar, who failed to show up for two games and were at the bottom, were eventually relegated when FKF cancelled the Premier League due to the emergence of Covid-19.

So far, BetKing has been confirmed as the FKF Premier League title sponsor for five years beginning with the 2020/21 campaign.

The season was expected to begin on November 20 with a match between AFC Leopards against a new-looking Western Stima but the tie was pushed to November 28 as was confirmed by FKF President Nick Mwendwa.

“The new season will now kick-off on November 28 and not this Friday [November 20] as earlier planned,” Mwendwa told  Goal  on Tuesday . “We have a number of logistical issues which need to be done, including testing of players and officials [for Covid-19] and all those who will be involved during matches.

“It is the reason we have shifted the date but we are confident the league will now start on November 28.”

The committee will face a number of challenges and the first one is the current dialogue between the clubs and FKF on the complete autonomy of the league.

Apart from securing the BetKing sponsorship deal, Chinese Pay TV StarTimes has also been confirmed as the official broadcasting partner of the league.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) have suspended club official Patrick Simon with immediate effect.

According to a statement from the club signed by the chairman Mshindo Msolla and obtained by Goal, the decision to ban Simon, who was the acting secretary, was reached during an emergency meeting held on November 17.

“The executive committee of Yanga hereby announces the immediate suspension of the acting secretary and the head legal and members Patrick Simon,” read the statement from Msolla.

“The decision comes after a resolution taken at an emergency meeting of the Excom that was held in Dar es Salaam on November 17, 2020, which was called to deliberate on issues and allegations raised against Simon.”

The statement continued: “In the interest of fair practice in this regard, the Excom will appoint an independent committee to investigate all the allegations. The Excom is looking forward to receiving the final report from the committee and finalise this matter expediently.”

Yanga are currently enjoying a good run in the Mainland Premier League as they are still unbeaten from 10 matches and are second on the 18-team league table with 24 points

In an earlier interview, Yanga coach Cedric Kaze confirmed he was happy to have winger Carlos Carlinhos return to the squad after missing a number of matches including the derby against Simba SC owing to a knee injury.

“All my players in the squad are very important and when you miss one of them, it gives you headache because you are missing a key player,” Kaze told Sokaletu.

“And when you have a full fit squad to pick from during matchday it gives you the chance to pick the best squad that can give you a win and that is why I am delighted to have Carlinhos back, we missed him and are happy to have him back.

“I will help him to come back into the squad and I am happy we have all players now available, it is the best way to compete and reach your target and we thank God we don’t have star players out anymore.”

Kaze, who is yet to lose a match since joining Yanga following the sacking of Serbian Zlatko Krmpotic, has also said they are taking it a game at a time, hoping to achieve their targets including winning the league title.

“We still have a lot of work to do as a team, we are not there yet, we must stay focused and do our job, we want to win our matches, and let us see how far we can.”

Since joining Yanga, Carlinhos has managed to score one goal when Yanga beat Coastal Union 3-0 and set up two goals.

Yanga are currently preparing to face Namungi Fc in a league match on November 22 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.