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The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday has issued a statement that he is seeking to tighten the restrictions on sports under the current Covid-19 lockdown orders.

Several areas of the country are currently under different stages of lockdown. For example, the Klang Valley area has been under a lockdown since mid-October that sees office employees having to work from home, while sporting matches including those of football have been prohibited, with training limited to only groups of 10.

Four Malaysian league clubs that are based in the Klang Valley; Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, UiTM FC and Petaling Jaya City meanwhile will have to play their Malaysia Cup matches this weekend in other states.

"I expressed [to National Security Council] my worries regarding the current nationwide pandemic situation, with cases still increasing.

"The actions we have taken have been somewhat successful in reining in the spread of Covid-19, but the current situation calls for a mitigations and interventions that are faster and more effective.

"I have ordered the MKN (National Security Council) to look into tightening restrictions on social and sporting activities, in order to break the chain of new infections.

"MKN will present the proposal in a meeting tomorrow, November 3. I hope it will be executed due to the worrying fact that the infection has been spreading at an alarming rate," wrote the Pagoh member of parliament.

If the restrictions on sporting activities are issued by MKN, it is believed that this season's Malaysia Cup, which is set to kick off this Friday in an already truncated format, will also be affected.

Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus dismissed speculation linking La Liga giants Barcelona with Darwin Nunez.

Nunez became Benfica's most expensive signing when he arrived from Almeria in a €24 million deal in September.

The 21-year-old forward opened his account with a hat-trick in the Europa League last month, while the Uruguay international has netted four goals across all competitions.

Jesus was asked about Nunez and rumoured interest from Barcelona following Benfica's shock 3-0 Primeira Liga loss to Boavista on Monday.

"There is no point in talking about it, it could just be sports news. I don't comment, I was more interested in commenting on Benfica's victory than Darwin," Jesus said.

The Catalans are reportedly interested in Nunez, who has been tipped by Jesus to surpass Joao Felix as the club's most expensive sale following the latter's €126 million transfer to Atletico Madrid last year.

"We got it right. We must not forget that he is a kid, he is 21 years old, there is a lot about the game that he does not know yet. He will learn with me and Benfica," Jesus told SportTV last month.

"All this decision-making ability, finishing and speed...He was Benfica's most expensive purchase, and when there is no pandemic, he will be the most expensive sale. He will be a world-class player.

"Unfortunately for me, maybe I will lose him in a short time."

Nunez only joined Segunda side Almeria for the start of last season from Uruguay's Penarol - where he plundered 16 goals to 30 league appearances to earn admiration all across Europe.

His performances with Uruguay's youth teams earned him a call-up to the senior national team in September 2019, scoring on his debut in a draw against Peru.

Benfica suffered their first league defeat of the season after succumbing to goals from Angel Gomes, Alberto Elis and Yanis Hamache.

The result left Benfica second and a point adrift of unbeaten leaders Sporting CP through six matches.

Benfica lost a Primeira Liga game by a margin of three-plus goals for the first time since October 2015, per Opta. Only Boavista and Sporting CP have won multiple league fixtures against Benfica by three or more goals in the 21st century.

Erling Haaland will eventually end up at Liverpool, according to the sporting director of his former club Red Bull Salzburg.

The Norwegian sensation left Salzburg for Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of 2020, and has scored 24 goals in his first 27 games for the club.

Haaland is hoping to challenge for the Bundesliga title with Dortmund but Salzburg chief Christoph Freund believes the striker will eventually take another step up the footballing ladder.

He appeared on Sky Sports alongside Germany legend Lothar Matthaus and, when Matthaus suggested Liverpool as a potential destination, Freund seemed to agree.

"That's where he will land," said Freund. "He can play for any club in the world. With his mentality, his will, with his self-confidence he can make a mark on European football in the next ten years."

Matthaus added: "Dortmund is one of the top 10 teams in Europe, but there are five or six better teams and that is where he will play at some point.

"I'm thinking of the top clubs; not necessarily Bayern Munich, because Robert Lewandowski will be playing for the next two or three years and Haaland will probably not stay in Dortmund that long."

Haaland announced himself to European football with 28 goals in 22 games in his first full season at Salzburg – and it would prove to be his only full season at the club.

However, Freund says this sort of situation is quite normal for a club of Salzburg’s standing.

“Erling was not a special story in this respect," Freund told Goal and SPOX. "That doesn't hurt us at all, it makes us proud because it's part of our concept.

“The player can take the next step, we get income through a transfer, which we can invest in scouting and new talent, among other things.

“In addition, there is again a free place in the squad that the next talent can take. It is a confirmation for us that we are on the right path and that we are on the right path.”

Over the summer, fellow forward Hwang Hee-chan left Salzburg for RB Leipzig, but Freund says the connection between the clubs doesn’t mean Salzburg are forced to sell their star assets to Leipzig.

“No. We are an independent club and we make our own decisions.”

Rio Ferdinand has called on Manchester United captain Harry Maguire to show he is worthy of the armband, urging the England international centre-back to “get a hold of that team”.

Recent good work, notably wins over Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in the Champions League, was interrupted by a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

It was a lacklustre performance against the Gunners at Old Trafford, and Red Devils great Ferdinand feels there was a lack of leadership on show.

“We're lacking confidence in certain areas. We gained a bit of confidence in midweek but do they get too overconfident?” he said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel.

“I saw Harry Maguire and a couple of his comments after the game saying maybe they were patting each other on the back too much. Get a hold of that team - he's the captain.”

Ferdinand feels Maguire would do well to look back at past captains of United for inspiration.

He added: “I hope he's getting in there and getting round people and telling people 'listen, we aren't the finished article, we've got loads to do, there is more from us to come, pull your socks up'.

“I don't know if that's going on. The captain of Man Utd. There's always been leaders in that changing room who would be going round and drilling people, either one-to-one or in front of the group. Pulling people aside, having little conversations to get people up, to make sure they stay on their game.

“I remember Nani, I didn't chat to him really, it was two or three words, 'assists and goals' or 'shoot on sight'. Boom, that's it. It doesn't need an essay of words. Sometimes it's short and sharp, punchy little things.

“Are these conversations going on? It isn't just for the management to deal with that, sometimes the players in that dressing room need to stand up and put it on people.”

While United are well placed in the Champions League, with two wins from as many games in Group H, they languish in 15th place in the Premier League.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United can shift focus away from their domestic troubles on Wednesday when they face Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League. 

A win at the Fatih Terim Stadium in Turkey would leave the Red Devils well placed to advance to the knockout stages, but they will need to bounce back from their poor effort against Arsenal on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham missed an opportunity to take their squad to the next level when they built their new stadium – but he is hopeful Jose Mourinho can lift a trophy at his old club.

Pochettino believes the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is now one of the best arenas in Europe, but he rued the effect the move had on both his squad and his transfer budget.

Spurs were temporarily re-homed at Wembley, where results stagnated and their Premier League rivals continued to spend big. Tottenham beat Liverpool 4-1 in October 2017 but two months later, Jurgen Klopp’s side signed Virgil van Dijk and haven’t looked back since.

“I think the third season, 2016-17, when we finished second, this was the season where afterwards we moved to Wembley,” Pochettino said on Sky Sports.

“It was a season where we won 17 games and had two draws in the Premier League.

“The team was doing a fantastic job but that was the season when we started to build the new stadium and we moved to Wembley with all the circumstances.

“If you remember ‘the ghost of Wembley’, [people were saying] ‘if you play at Wembley it’s going to be a disaster’. The energy wasn’t great.

“The feeling… you understand the fans love to go to White Hart Lane, and to have to move to Wembley was a massive step for everyone. But the team kept going and doing well.

“But that I think was the point where maybe we missed [the chance to] improve the squad and the team a little bit so we could be close to winning a big trophy. Afterwards, we had the chance with the final of the Champions League but I think that was the highest point of that amazing journey.”

Pochettino has been away from the game for almost a year after being sacked by Spurs, and his replacement, Mourinho, has added to his squad impressively in recent months.

Tottenham have been touted as outside contenders for the Premier League title, and Pochettino would like to see them lift a major trophy – providing he isn’t managing a rival team by then.

“It was an amazing journey, we enjoyed it a lot,” he said of his time at the club.

“We only felt sad that we could not provide, for the club and for the fans - and because this group of players deserved to be recognised - a trophy.

“I hope in the future it will be possible for them to win a trophy with Jose. It would be amazing for the fans and for the group of players.”

Tottenham outcast Dele Alli can work his way back into Jose Mourinho's first team, according to Eric Dier.

Alli has only played 243 minutes under the Portuguese manager in all competitions this season and has been left out of the squad for Spurs' last three Premier League matches.

The 24-year-old started last Thursday's Europa League contest against Antwerp but was hauled off at half time as the Londoners crashed to a 1-0 defeat.

Mourinho insists the reason for Alli's exclusion is because of the array of attacking stars he has at his disposal - with the likes of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, Gareth Bale and Lucas Moura all ahead of the former MK Dons player for selection.

However, Dier believes his England international team-mate has the ability to resurrect his career under Mourinho - but his fate is solely in his own hands.

"Yeah, of course Dele has the capacity, we all know his quality, we all know what he brings - he’s shown that in the past," he said.

"It’s really up to him to put in the work, the effort, the commitment and I’m sure he will do that.

"That’s who he is, he’s always had that drive. It’s up to him, it’s in his hands and it’s in all of our hands. 

"Individually, we all have to perform, we’ve got a very big squad and we all have to perform at the highest level if we want to play."

Tottenham are flying high in third position on the Premier League table, two points behind leaders Liverpool after seven matches.

Dier intimated that Spurs feel they could be leading the title race but the team was pleased with their start to their campaign.

"We’re happy with where we are but we could be happier," Dier said. "If you look at some games - the Newcastle game with the penalty was very difficult to understand.

"The Everton game wasn’t acceptable and then the West Ham game was the same, [it was] really frustrating to be 3-0 up and it was really important for us to get off the mark at home, get the win.

"Obviously we’ve improved massively away from home which was really our downfall last season.

"It’s great to be up and running with a win at home now and we’ll just look to keep working hard, keep pushing forward.

“It’s very early on but our motivation is clear. For us, we’re going into every game to try and win. We know that’s not possible but that’s our ambition. We’re going into every game, no matter the competition believing we can win."

Samuel Chukwueze has put an end to his LaLiga goal drought as Villarreal overpowered Real Valladolid 2-0 on Monday night.

The 21-year-old Nigeria international had gone on a 12-month run without finding the net, however, he rediscovered his scoring form against the White and Violets.

His 21st minute strike propelled Unai Emery’s men to their fourth victory of the 2020-21 Spanish topflight campaign.

Alfonso Pedraza had the first chance at goal - trying his luck with a powerful left-footed shot which drew a fine save from goalkeeper Jordi Masip.

The hosts’ persistence eventually paid off in the 20th minute thanks to Chukwueze’s cool finish after connecting to a low cross from Pedraza.

Emery’s team doubled their advantage in the 37th minute courtesy of Pau Torres who converted Paco Alcacer’s flick off Moi Gomez’s corner kick.

Early in the second-half, Valladolid missed a chance to reduce their deficit after Shon Weissman’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Asenjo.

Gerard Moreno got the Yellows’ third goal in the 64th minute but VAR replays cancelled the effort due to a foul in his build-up to the strike.

Despite a late rally from Sergio Gonzalez’s team, scores stood at 2-0 after full time as Villarreal reigned supreme at Estadio de la Ceramica.

After an impressive shift, Chukwueze was replaced in the 64th minute by on loan Real Madrid midfielder Takefusa Kubo, while Moroccan defender Sofian Chakla was an unused substitute. Chakla’s compatriot Jawad El Yamiq was not dressed for action by Real Valladolid.

Chukwueze, who has been called up for Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualification versus Sierra Leone next week, would be hoping to take his scoring form to the Europa League when his Spanish outfit host Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Thursday.

Diego Maradona has been admitted to hospital in his native Argentina, according to local media reports.

The legendary former Argentina international, who turned 60 last month, has reportedly been taken to the Ipensa clinic in La Plata, about an hour from Buenos Aires.

Although there has been no official word, Ole are reporting that his condition is not serious and is not related to Covid-19 as he had tested negative in recent days.

Maradona, who coaches Gimnasia y Esgrima, was last seen in public on Friday, the day of his birthday, and he was presented with a commemorative plaque ahead of his side’s game with Patronato.

The World Cup winner did not stay to watch the game, with it reported that he had been feeling unwell for a few days.

Maradona has had a number of health scares down the years.

He was admitted to hospital in January 2019 with internal bleeding in the stomach, while he fell ill at the 2018 World Cup in Russia - being filmed passing out at the game between Argentina and Nigeria.

Maradona is widely considered to be one of the greatest to play the game. He rose to prominence at Argentinos Juniors, before a spell at Boca Juniors earned him superstardom and a move to Barcelona in 1982. 

He joined Napoli two years later and helped the club win the Serie A title in 1987 and 1990.

It was during his spell with Napoli that Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986. He scored one of the great goals of all time against England in the quarter finals, along with the infamous Hand of God goal.

His five goals and five assists at Mexico ‘86 earned him the tournament’s best player award, and while he did not find the target in the final, he created the winning goal for Jorge Burruchaga.

Argentina came up short in the defence of their crown at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where Maradona was hampered by an ankle injury.

Maradona took his place in the squad for the 1994 World Cup in the United States, but his tournament ended in disgrace as he was sent home after failing a drugs test.

Fulham’s Ola Aina scored his first Premier League goal with a beauty in Monday’s Premier League clash against West Bromwich Albion, in the process ending his wait to find the back of the net for the Cottagers.

Jamaica’s Bobby Decordova-Reid had given Scott Parker’s men the lead after 26 minutes thanks to an assist from Aleksandar Mitrovic, and the Nigeria international doubled the advantage at Craven Cottage with a breathtaking effort.

The wing-back had some great exchanges with Mitrovic and Decordova-Reid, allowed some space outside the area, before unleashing a thunderbolt into the top left corner from the edge of the area, which was unstoppable by goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

In the interesting first half, Slaven Bilic’s men took a two-goal deficit into half-time and they would have themselves to blame for not taking their chances.

Having been promoted to Chelsea first-team in 2015, the 24-year-old, who was part of the Blues’ three FA Youth Cup-winning sides and Uefa Youth League triumph, was loaned to Hull City after failing to get regular action at Stamford Bridge.

He made just three substitute appearances in the Premier League, one in the FA Cup and two starts in the English Football League Cup for the Blues.

After completing his spell with the Tigers, he was shipped to Serie A outfit Torino for another loan stint. His move was made permanent in a deal worth £8.9m (€10m) after he impressed during his one-year stay in Italy – making 32 appearances and scoring once.

In the 2019-20 season, he accounted for 37 appearances for the Bull, which included 32 matches in Serie A. However, he returned to England to join Fulham a day before their Premier League opening fixture against Arsenal.

Should Parker’s team seal the win against Semi Ajayi’s Baggies, that will be their maiden win in the 2020-21 campaign after a stuttering start.

Aina is part of Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles to face Sierra Leone in this month’s double-header Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Benin City and Freetown.

Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga has revealed fans might soon be allowed to watch games at stadiums.

The Super League 2020/21 season started over the weekend without fans as a measure to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Kamanga has, however, revealed there has been engagement with the government on when to allow the fans to start streaming to the stadiums.

“Earlier in the week, we had an important engagement with partners in the game among them MTN, Eden University, Multi-Choice and ZNBC. Presiding over this engagement was the Minister of Youth Sport and Child Development Emmanuel Mulenga,” Kamanga was quoted by FAZ Facebook page as saying.

“We had a very progressive interaction with the stakeholders with Mulenga giving the signal on the need to bring back fans to the stadia in light of reduced Covid-19 infections.

“The minister directed his staff to ensure that everything is done within 10 days to ensure that fans are brought back to the stands. We have taken up this call and built upon our previous engagements with the Ministry of Sports and also their counterparts at health docket to ensure that we are allowed to do so.”

The 2019/20 season had to be cancelled after it had just restarted in July due to the rising number of infected players and team officials.

The federation chief said they would wait to hear what the Health Ministry advises on the request.

The Ministries of Health and Sports together with FAZ worked closely during the short period that the league resumed before it was cancelled in August.

“It should never be forgotten that the final call on matters of health lies with the Ministry of Health,” Kamanga added.

“We have provided the requisite information and also engaged the Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) to ensure that our implementation of Covid-19 protocols remains above board.

“We are hopeful that we will soon have fans in the upcoming fixtures.

“We have heard the cries of the millions of soccer fans yearning to watch their heroes in football stadia and will do our best to facilitate their return to stadia.”

He also spoke about the upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Botswana and is hopeful the fans will watch the game live at the stadium.

“As the nation prepares for the November 12 home game against Botswana, we are urging the whole country to rally behind the team,” he concluded.

“It is our prayer that fans will be allowed to come and watch the game to ensure we cheer the boys to glory. We remain hopeful that we will come out strong over the two legs that lie ahead in the next few days.”

Zambia will be looking for a maiden group win when they host the Zebras for matchdays three and four.

Mauricio Pochettino says he is ready to return to management, almost a year after he was sacked by Tottenham.

The Argentine’s enthusiasm will no doubt intensify speculation linking him with replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager of Manchester United.

Pressure has begun to mount on Solskjaer at Old Trafford in recent months, with United currently 15th in the Premier League table.

After taking Spurs to the Champions League final, Pochettino has been linked with a number of top jobs including those at Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.

However, after six years in England, Pochettino seems keen to return to the Premier League.

“I discovered an amazing people in this country, an amazing culture. I am in love,” Pochettino said on Sky Sports.

“I was always ready to be involved in the game again. I love football. It’s my passion, not my job.

“It’s not a stress when you are working. It’s not a stress to go to the training ground. It’s not a stress to prepare for a game. It’s not a stress to compete… look, my hair is still getting longer and longer!

“I am looking forward to being involved in the game again, I love the game. It’s difficult; we are inside, we are working, we are doing things but it is not the same thing to be involved every day, to share it with your players, your staff and the club. You miss that.

“Football without fans, you realise that you lose the passion… it means a lot to have the fans in the stadium but we need to protect the industry, that is why we need to keep going and playing.”

Pochettino was appearing as a special guest ahead of the Monday night clash between Leicester and Leeds - managed by his old mentor, Marcelo Bielsa.

“When I played for Bielsa at Newell's [Old Boys] Reserves, he was ahead of everyone,” Pochettino said.

"Remember there was no internet. But for every game we knew the formation and tactics that our opponents would play because Marcelo bought every newspaper in the country to study the teams.”

Pochettino’s next job will be his fourth in management, following spells at Southampton and Espanyol prior to his time at Tottenham.

Antonio Conte has revealed that he came close to taking charge of Real Madrid on a couple of occasions, but is now content at Inter.

Inter travel to Spain to face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, and Conte has admitted he could have been in the opposite dugout.

Conte did not go into details on when the opportunities arose, but he has stated that the approaches came mid-season and he had no desire to move in the middle of a campaign.

“In the past there was an opportunity for me to become the coach of Real Madrid, but the time was not right,” Conte said at a press conference on Monday. 

“There have certainly been a couple of moments where I was very close to joining Real Madrid but the season had already started - it would have been so difficult to join them during the season.”

Conte has had a stellar coaching career, which took off when he was appointed Juventus boss in 2011.

Three Serie A titles came his way in Turin, before being lured into the international scene by Italy. His spell in charge of the Azzurri lasted from 2014 to 2016, when he was installed as the manager of Chelsea.

Premier League glory came his way in his first season in charge, but things soured at Stamford Bridge and he departed after guiding the Blues to FA Cup glory in 2018.

Conte spent a year away from management before being installed at the helm of Inter in the summer of 2019. 

Inter are trending in the right direction under Conte, and Tuesday’s clash with Real will be a test of their European credentials. 

Conte’s side are third in Group B after two games, which both ended in draws, and Tuesday’s clash is a huge occasion as Real are bottom of the table following a home loss to Shakhtar Donetsk and a draw with Borussia Monchengladbach. 

If Inter are to win in Spain on Tuesday, they will have to do it without star forward Romelu Lukaku, who has failed to shake off a muscle injury in his thigh and misses the trip to Madrid.

The United States presidential election 2020 is headlined by the face-off between the two-party candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Soccer, naturally, is very far down on the agenda, but both Trump and Biden have weighed in with opinions on some notable issues within the sport over the past few years.

While it may not be a deal-breaker for voters by any stretch of the imagination, those who are invested in the game in some capacity might well be curious how their preference stands when it comes to soccer.

So, with that in mind, Goal has taken a look at some of the issues on the record.

Where does Donald Trump stand on soccer issues?

Trump's relationship with soccer in the United States is much like a lot of his other relationships: complicated. 

While he is only too happy to be associated with the fact that the World Cup will be held in U.S. (along with Canada and Mexico) in 2026, he is also capable of telling the world he won't watch the national teams if they contradict him.

World Cup 2026

"Thank you for all of the compliments on getting the World Cup to come to the USA, Mexico and Canada," Trump tweeted when FIFA confirmed that the North American trio had beaten Morocco in the bid. 

"I worked hard on this, along with a great team of talented people. We never fail, and it will be a great World Cup! A special thanks to Bob Kraft for excellent advice."

Trump did lend a hand to the push for the World Cup to be hosted in North America, with the New York Times reporting that he sent three letters to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Indeed, he also met with Infantino on a number of occasions to discuss the hosting of the competition as well as issues within the game.

"You are part of the FIFA team now," beamed Infantino as he presented Trump with a jersey (and, for some reason, referee cards) on a visit to the White House in 2018.

Trump's interest in soccer is genuine and part of that is because his son Barron is an avid player, having been involved with D.C. United and Arlington Soccer Association youth teams.

"My son heard [Infantino] was going to be here and he said, 'Dad I'd like to meet him'," Trump told reporters in 2018. "My son Barron loves soccer and soccer has to be one of the fastest growing sports in the world."

Megan Rapinoe, Black Lives Matter & 'taking a knee'

As much as he heralded the idea of 'Team America' in the World Cup conversation, Trump was quick to turn his back on the national team in 2020. In June of that year, he took aim at U.S. Soccer (along with the NFL) following their decision not to force players to stand for the American national anthem before games.

"I won’t be watching much anymore!" Trump blasted on Twitter in response. "And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching!" 

The issue of forcing sportspeople to stand during the playing of the national anthem arose after Colin Kaepernick and others began to kneel in protest against police brutality and racism in 2016.

Trump immediately branded the kneeling protests "disrespectful" to the United States and since then he has consistently criticised athletes who choose to take a knee during the anthem.

After USWNT star Megan Rapinoe knelt in solidarity with Kaepernick's protest in a number of international and NWSL games, U.S. Soccer adopted a stance on the matter in 2017, when they made it official national team policy to "stand respectfully" during the playing of national anthems.

However, their 2020 decision overturned that stance and the organisation acknowledged that it was "wrong" to make it compulsory to stand during the anthem.

"We have not done enough to listen - especially to our players - to understand and acknowledge the very real and meaningful experiences of Black and other minority communities in our country," a U.S. Soccer statement said.

"We apologise to our players - especially our Black players - staff, fans, and all who support eradicating racism."

Rapinoe, interestingly, has been one of Trump's most outspoken critics and her numerous broadsides have even prompted the president to respond directly on Twitter.

Equal pay

Trump discussed the women's game in a 2019 meeting with Gianni Infantino and revealed that they discussed how to make it "even better and more equitable".

A few months prior to that meeting he had suggested that the issue of pay disparity boiled down to economics, though stressed that he had not yet made his mind up on the matter.

"I think a lot of it also has to do with the economics," Trump told The Hill. "I mean who draws more? Where is the money coming in?

"I know that when you have the great stars like [Portugal's Cristiano] Ronaldo and some of these stars... that get paid a lot of money, but they draw hundreds of thousands of people.

"But I haven't taken a position on that at all. I'd have to look at it."

Where does Joe Biden stand on soccer issues?

Joe Biden has always taken an interest in the exploits of the United States national teams and is never shy about voicing his support for them, particularly during tournaments.

While he cannot claim the same sort of credit that Trump has with respect to the World Cup 2026 bid, he and his wife have been part of delegations at both the men's and women's World Cups.

Equal pay

In recent years, when it comes to soccer, Biden has been most vocal on the issue of equal pay for the USWNT, strongly backing their fight against the national association.

"USWNT, congratulations on the big win and thank you for the jersey!" he wrote in a tweet after the U.S women won the 2019 World Cup.

"Your talent, heart and advocacy for equal pay represents the best of America and serves as an inspiration for all."

Indeed, he has also made some sterner statements on the matter, particularly after the women's team lost their lawsuit in the courts in May 2020.

Reacting to the news, Biden urged the USWNT not to surrender their pursuit before issuing a serious warning to U.S. Soccer.

"To USWNT: don't give up this fight," he wrote on Twitter. "This is not over yet.

"To U.S. Soccer: equal pay, now. Or else when I'm president, you can go elsewhere for World Cup funding."

In contrast to Trump, who had not made his mind up on the matter in early 2019, the fact that Biden felt strongly enough about it to issue such an ultimatum underlines how clear his stance is. In fact, he can actually point to a record of working for equal pay in all sectors which stretches back to his time in the Obama administration.

Back in April 2020, Megan Rapinoe had Biden and his wife Jill on her podcast to discuss political matters including equal pay and, while she initially endorsed Elizabeth Warren as the Democratic candidate, it is perhaps no surprise to learn that she is now 'Team Biden'.

Black Lives Matter & 'taking a knee'

Biden has not been critical of athletes who have chosen to kneel in protest against racial injustice and he has been supportive of the Black Lives Matter concept.

In the lead up to the election, the former vice-president issued an address in which he said: "Black lives matter. Period. I'm not afraid to say it. Inequities have to be met head on.

"African Americans need a fair shake when it comes to economic opportunity, healthcare, criminal justice, education and housing."

In 2020, a number of photos circulated online giving the impression that Biden had been kneeling in solidarity with the Kaepernick protest, but it was quickly shown that he was simply kneeling to talk to a child rather than making a statement.

The 2020 U.S. presidential election takes place on Tuesday November 3.

Ekiti State Football Association has launched its official website as part of its unwavering mission to advance the sport in the state.

In a closed-door event held in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, the portal [www.ekitifootball.org] was unveiled with the channel expected to keep the public up-to-date with news, competition and related news from the state’s FA.

In a chat with Goal, chairman of EKSFA Bayo Olalenge claims the website is one of the numerous projects he promised to accomplish when he assumed office, while explaining what the platform means to the Land of Honour and Integrity.

“There are several positive impacts this website would have on Ekiti State Football Association. One of it is visibility which will enable people see the activities of the association,” Olanlege told Goal.

“Another one is for us to be able to identify components – all other affiliated organisations – and be able to collate their data and have somewhere we are storing them for future use.

“Also, it would be easier for people to find us and know what we are capable of doing.

“Importantly, we have had issues with the way we do registration which makes it easy for people to manipulate lots of info. With the website, it would be done online and that will help us to reduce the problem of falsification of information.”

Football in Ekiti had been in a state of comatose; however, Olalenge’s election as FA boss has brought a gleam of hope thanks to his deliberate support of grassroots football – as well as the workings of his fellow executives.

For instance, the South Western Nigeria state will be featuring in the football event of the 2021 National Sports Festival – their maiden appearance since its creation in 1996.

As per club football, Ekiti Football were trying their best to secure promotion to the country’s elite division before the second-tier was hit with an indefinite suspension.

Paris Saint-Germain wanted to sign Thiago before he moved to Liverpool, the player’s father has said, but the Ligue 1 side signed his brother Rafinha instead.

PSG brought Rafinha in from Barcelona at the end of the summer transfer window after seeing Thiago opt to leave Bayern Munich for Liverpool.

Thiago’s move dragged on throughout the summer but by the time PSG got in touch, an agreement was already in place to take him to Anfield.

“I had spoken with [PSG director] Leonardo some time ago, but it was for Thiago,” Mazinho, father of Thiago and Rafinha, told France Football.

“Leonardo wanted to sign him for PSG, but Thiago had already made a deal with Liverpool.

“We then talked about Rafa, but he was not part of Leonardo's plans at that time. I think he must have thought about it, that he saw the nature of the opportunity and it would be a blow to sign him.

“When he started talking again, Leonardo had changed his mind. And it all sped up on the last day. It was Monday that we had to work hard to convince both clubs.

“We were scared, but thank God, five or six hours before the deadline, we made a deal. Leonardo wanted Thiago, he got Rafinha. And for Rafa, it was a dream to join such a club.”

Rafinha is bedding in at PSG, clocking up his fifth appearance for the club in Sunday’s 3-0 away win at Nantes in Ligue 1.

His father doesn’t think he will have any difficulty getting used to life under Thomas Tuchel, with there plenty of similarities between PSG and former club Barca.

“PSG often play in a 4-3-3 that looks like Barca's. Rafa knows a lot of players like Neymar, but also [Mauro] Icardi, [Pablo] Sarabia. It's not going to be hard to fit in.

“He will have to understand the dynamics that the coach wants, but I'm not worried. He is tactically well prepared and is always trying to figure out what the manager wants. He can play three places in the middle, and three places in front. He did it at Barca, he was trained like this.”

Inter midfielder Arturo Vidal has added incentive to target victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, as it would bring joy to fans of his former club Barcelona.

Chilean star Vidal spent two seasons with Barca before making the move to Inter in the summer, and he is well aware of the rivalry between the Catalans and Real.

His focus is on securing three points for his current side, but he would celebrate victory at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium with fans of Inter as well as Barca.

"It's a great match," Vidal said at a press conference on Monday. "I spent two great years at Barcelona, so I hope to be able to celebrate a win with Inter and Barcelona fans."

Vidal does not have a great record against Real. He was sent off in their Champions League semi-final defeat against them during his days at Bayern Munich in 2017, while his two meetings with Los Blancos in La Liga last term resulted in a draw and a defeat.

At 33, Vidal does not have the engine he once possessed but Inter manager Antonio Conte feels the midfielder is still capable of operating at the highest level, and he is looking to repay the faith.

"I’m happy to be here and to do what the coach asks of me,” Vidal said. "Before, I scored a lot of goals, now I have to give my all, do what the coach asks and always putting the team first.

"For us, whether it’s in the league or the Champions League, all matches are like a final. Tomorrow will be a very intense match, it’s always nice to play a strong team like Real Madrid but for us, all the matches are like a final."

Vidal's experience of big European nights will be important on Tuesday, as defeat for either Inter or Real would be a hammer blow.

Real prop up Group B with a single point to their name from two games, while Inter are only a point better off. Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach are first and second respectively and they meet in Kiev on Tuesday.

Conte’s Inter travel to the Spanish capital as underdogs, and their task has been made more difficult by the absence of striker Romelu Lukaku on account of a thigh injury.

Mbeya City lost a chance to get closer to safety when they played out a 1-1 draw at home to Ihefu FC in a Tanzania Mainland League match played on Monday.

Omary Mponda was the first to score in favour of the visitors before Denis Kibu leveled matters for the hosts.

Monday's meeting was the first between the two teams in Tanzania top-flight football and the two bottom-placed teams came into the match desperate to get maximum points.

Prior to the game, Ihefu, who are bottom of the table, had managed a win, a draw, and six losses while their opponents had gotten a win, two draws, and five losses in the eight games they had both played.

It was the Rujewa-based side who opened the scoring. Concentration lapses allowed a cross from the right which was excellently headed in by Mponda after 14 minutes.

Ihefu were playing well with defensive discipline, with their hosts getting frustrated by the failure to get an equalizer. 

In the 57th minute, a good cross was brought in from the right and Ihefu defenders failed to clear the danger. Andrew Kayuni headed the ball to Kibu, who did well to control the ball before unleashing a good strike which the goalkeeper could not stop.

Neither of the two teams could get another goal in the remaining 30 minutes or so.

Ihefu remain at the bottom of the table with five points from the nine games they have played, one point fewer than their city rivals who are a position higher. 

On Sunday, Kagera Sugar, who are also struggling to get off the danger zone, managed to bag maximum points after defeating their fellow Sugar Millers Mtibwa Sugar 2-1.

In the game played at Kaitaba Stadium in Bukoba, Awadh Juma opened the scoring in favour of the visiting Mtibwa in the 43rd minute.

Vitalisy Mayanga levelled matters in the 67th minute before Yusuf Mhilu struck the winner two minutes later.

Azam FC and Young Africans Sports Club (Yanga SC) are joint top of the table with 22 points while Simba SC are third with 16 points.