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The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has warned clubs to desist from prosecuting cases outside the established institutions.

Without mentioning a specific club, the federation said its attention was attracted by various claims that have been made concerning judgements that arrive at various bodies that handle football disputes.

The TFF has been in the spotlight ever since they made a ruling that declared Bernard Morrison a free agent which allowed him to join rivals Simba SC.

Dissatisfied Yanga recently claimed Morrison’s contract, as it appears in the TFF transfer matching system, only bears the player’s signature making it legally deficient.

The federation is yet to make a ruling concerning the latest claim by Timu ya Wananchi over the Ghanaian winger.

“Tanzania Football Federation has received with great concern claims that have been spread on the social media over cases that have been tabled by various clubs before it,” TFF said in a statement obtained by Goal.

“We would like to make it clear that TFF is not an individual but an institution that is run by a constitution and sets of laws. For that reason, every case that is presented before it is handled in a manner prescribed by those laws.

“The TFF Secretariat has no power nor authority to stop aggrieved parties from presenting cases before law and order institutions. TFF will continue working in a transparent manner because it is a body that is run on ideals.”

Yanga had threatened to pursue justice in the Morrison case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland and the TFF has stated clubs are free to seek redress elsewhere at recognised bodies.

“If there is any party that is not satisfied with any of the ruling, the norm is to file an appeal with the high organs of TFF, Fifa, or even with CAS,” the federation concluded.

“We would like to acknowledge the clubs that have always followed on the set appeal channels that have been created by the constitution.

“It would be ideal for other clubs to follow suit so that we can remain firm in football development instead of engaging in propaganda that does not help at all.”

From the last transfer window, Morrison’s case was the biggest matter the Players’ Status Committee handled but it remains fully unresolved up to the moment especially after the new claims made by Yanga.

Wayne Rooney is "angry and disappointed" after he was put in danger of contracting Covid-19 when he was visited by a friend who was infected with coronavirus.

The Derby player-coach was given a luxury watch at his home on Thursday by Josh Bardsley, who should have been in isolation after being tested for the virus and turned out to be positive for Covid-19.

Rooney was not aware that Bardsley was violating government and NHS protocol and went on to play the full 90 minutes as Derby lost to Watford in Friday's Championship match.

The player-coach had to have an emergency test on Saturday night and a spokesman told The Sun he would not have allowed the visit had he known Bardsley had been contacted by Test and Trace.

“Wayne met Josh Bardsley briefly when he visited Wayne’s house on Thursday," he said.

“Wayne was not told by Josh or anyone else before or during that visit that Josh had been told to take a coronavirus test.

“Had he known Josh had been contacted by Track and Trace or had tested positive he would have refused to have seen him.

“Wayne is angry and disappointed that he, his family and his club have been put in this position by someone acting secretly and in breach of government and NHS guidelines. He is now taking a coronavirus test as a result of his contact with Josh.”

Derby reacted to the news by assuring that they are following government advice in the face of the pandemic.

"Derby County Football Club is aware of a report in a national newspaper relating to a member of the club’s playing squad being in contact with an individual which has tested positive for Covid-19," a statement on the Rams' website read.

"On being made aware of this news the club has ensured that the appropriate measures were taken in line with strict EFL Covid-19 protocols and UK Government guidelines, which the club is operating under.

"The club will continue to adhere to the Covid-19 rules and protocols to ensure that the safest possible environment is provided for its players and staff."

Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA FC) have unveiled their new home kit and squad numbers for the upcoming 2020-21 campaign.

The former Ugandan Premier League (UPL) champions have unveiled the new yellow and blue jersey in a video featuring defender John Revita and three members of the squad.

According to the video, the new replica jersey for the fans will hit the market on Monday and will go for 35,000ugx (adults) and 40,000ugx for kids.

The unveiling of the new jersey comes just two days after the club confirmed new squad numbers ahead of the new campaign set to kick-off on November 20.

With 10 new signings, one promoted from the junior side, and one player returning from loan, changes in shirt numbers had to be rung in the squad.

Italian signing Mazengo Loro has been handed shirt six while midfield gem Bright Anukani will don shirt 20. Shirt number 10 has been handed to Juma Balinya who signed for the club from Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Gor Mahia while Samson Kigozi will wear shirt 11.

Teenager Andrew Kawooya will take over shirt 12 formerly donned by Kizza Mustafa while Ashraf Mugume will don the famous shirt 15 once donned by club legend Philip Omondi

Striker Charles Lwanga will don shirt 18 while Moses Kalanzi will wear shirt 27, Brian Aheebwa will have shirt 9 as his, and Denis Iguma will don shirt 25 formerly donned by Allan Okello.

In other shirt number changes. Musana Hassan has been moved from shirt 23 to shirt three formerly donned by Moses Aliro who will now don shirt 26, Keziron Kizito will don shirt 17 and his former shirt number 20 will be donned by Bright Anukani.

KCCA will be seeking to wrestle the UPL title from Vipers SC and will also take part in the Caf Confederation Cup.

Official Squad Numbers: MWIRUSI Ali Ramadhan (1), KATO Samuel Nemeyimana (2), MUSANA Hassan (3), MUSA Ramathan (4), REVITA John (5), MAZENGO Loro Stefano (6), GIFT ALI Abubakar (7), AYELLA Dominic (8), AHEEBWA Brian (9), BALINYA Juma (10), KIGOZI Samson Andrew (11), KAWOOYA Andrew (12), MAGAMBO Peter (13), ANAKU Sadat Happy (14), MUGUME Ashraf (15), ACHAI Herbert (16), KEZIRON Kizito (17), LWANGA Charles (18), SSERWADDA Steven (19), ANUKANI Bright (20), SSENYONJO Samuel (21), POLOTO Julius (22), BUKENYA Joseph Kizza (23), LUKWAGO Charles (24), IGUMA Denis (25), ALIRO Moses Okabo (26), KALANZI Moses (27), OBENCHAN Fillbert (28), MATOVU Hassan Muyomba (29) and KAFUMBE Joseph (30).

India’s honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Indian football and Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan on winning the 2019-20 I-League title on Sunday.

Modi took Twitter to convey his wishes for the Mariners who were presented the I-League trophy on Sunday in Kolkata. The Prime Minister’s Tweet read, “Congratulations to the players, staff and fans of the illustrious Mohun Bagan for emerging as I-League Champions! Indeed, a joyful occasion."

Other than the Prime Minister, West Bengal’s honourable Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too congratulated the Kolkata giants on winning the league title.

Banerjee’s Tweet read, “Heartiest congratulations to Mohun Bagan for becoming I-League Champions. Wonderful achievement for the Green & Maroon Brigade & best wishes as you step into upcoming Indian Super League season as ATK Mohun Bagan FC.

Zambia head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic has named a 23-man squad that is expected to face Ethiopia and South Sudan in friendlies.

After facing Malawi, Kenya, South Africa and Orlando Pirates during the Fifa break, Chipolopolo have again announced plans to face the two Cecafa nations.

Micho has retained a huge number of players that featured in the aforementioned friendlies as he named a squad that is purely made up of local-based stars.

Nkwazi goalkeeper Charles Muntanga, Zanaco defender Kebson Kamanga, Luka Ng’uni and Paul Katena are among the players summoned for the upcoming duties.

“The team enters camp on Tuesday 20 October and will jet-off to Ethiopia the following day in readiness for the match against that country’s national team on Thursday,” Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) announced on Sunday.

“Zambia’s second match will be against South Sudan on Saturday before facing Ethiopia again on Sunday. The local assemblage will wrap up the Addis Ababa engagement with another match against South Sudan on Monday, October, 26.”

Zambia are trying to get their players ready for the back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying matches against Botswana in November as well as for the African Nations Championship (Chan) tournament that will be played in Cameroon in January 2021.

“Micho has drafted an intense programme for local players that will see them flow into the Botswana encounter on November 12 at National Heroes Stadium in match-fit condition,” the federation added.

Before playing the last three matches, headlines revolved around Obrey Chirwa of Azam FC and Clatous Chama of Simba SC who were called up but ended up not showing up. Kabaso Chongo was also suspended after he had captained the team against Harambee Stars on October 9.

Full Squad:

Goalkeepers: Lameck Siame (Kabwe Warriors), Jackson Kakunta (Power Dynamos), Charles Muntanga (Nkwazi)

Defenders: Kondwani Chiboni, Zachariah Chilongoshi (both Power Dynamos), Luka Banda, Luka Ng’uni (both Napsa Stars), Dominic Chanda (Kabwe Warriors), Benedict Chepeshi (Red Arrows), Kebson Kamanga (Zanaco)

Midfielders: Benson Sakala (Power Dynamos), Albert Kangwanda, Kelvin Kapumbu (both Zanaco), Amity Shamende (Green Eagles), Leonard Mulenga (Green Buffaloes), Bruce Musakanya, Kelvin Mubanga Kampamba (both Zesco United), Collins Sikombe (Napsa Stars), Chaniza Zulu (Lumwana Radiants), Paul Katema (Red Arrows), Thomas Zulu (Nkwazi)

Strikers: Friday Samu (Green Buffaloes), Emmanuel Chabula (Nkwazi)

Frank Leboeuf has questioned Chelsea's chances of finishing in the top four while admitting he's "not convinced" by £70 million ($90m) summer signing Kai Havertz.

Chelsea's inconsistent start to the 2020-21 season continued on Saturday as they were held to a 3-3 draw by Southampton at Stamford Bridge .

Timo Werner opened the scoring 15 minutes in with a superb individual effort which marked his first Premier League goal since joining the Blues from RB Leipzig in June.

The Germany international doubled his account after latching onto a searching Jorginho through ball 13 minutes later, but Southampton pulled a goal back just before the interval when Danny Ings struck after Havertz was dispossessed in midfield.

Che Adams capitalised on an erratic piece of goalkeeping from Kepa Arrizabalaga to level the scores in the 57th minute, before Werner teed up Havertz to put the home side back in front on the hour mark.

Southampton weren't to be denied, though, with Jannik Vestergaard diverting a Theo Walcott shot into the net in stoppage time to ensure that both sides took a point after an enthralling 90 minutes of action.

The final result leaves Chelsea trailing league leaders Everton by five points after five fixtures, with a huge clash against Manchester United up next on October 24.

Leboeuf hasn't been impressed by Havertz's contribution since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen, and although he has been encouraged by Werner's start, he is concerned that the Blues are far too vulnerable at the back to compete with the elite.

"I’m not convinced about Havertz, I’m not that optimistic," the former Chelsea defender ESPN. "I’m very pleased with Werner, he’s a real satisfaction.

"Thiago Silva should have been back because it’s crucial for Chelsea to have a real leader at the back and that’s the main problem.

"They all have to work hard physically to make sure they can play together and be stronger together."

Leboeuf went on to express his belief that the Blues will struggle to qualify for the Champions League if they continue on their current path, adding: "I'm not convinced at all about Chelsea right now. It’s like they don’t know each other, they’re not fit enough, I’m very worried.

"I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt because I don’t know what they’re worth, but, really, if they keep on performing like that, for sure they’re not going to finish in the top four."

Asisat Oshoala scored her first goal in the 2020-21 Spanish Primera Iberdrola campaign as Barcelona thrashed Sporting Huelva 6-0 on Sunday.

Having failed to find the back of the net in two matches, the Super Falcons striker's opener inspired her team's extension of their winning streak in the Spanish top-flight as they claimed their third straight victory.

The defending champions made a brilliant start to the contest as Mariona Caldentey's perfect pass allowed Oshoala to score her first league goal of the season for her side after just five minutes.

Three minutes later, Kheira Hamraoui doubled the lead for Barcelona before Alexia Putellas netted a third six minutes from half-time.

After the restart, Caldentey got on the scoresheet with a fourth of the match 10 minutes into the second half before Caroline Graham Hansen made it five for the visitors in the 76th minute.

Two minutes later, Caldentey bagged her second assist of the match as she teed up substitute Bruna Vilamala to wrap up the big victory.

Oshoala, who was in action for 68 minutes before she was taken off for Vilamala has now scored one goal in three matches this term.

On the other hand, Spanish-born Gambian Fatoumata Kanteh featured in the opening 45 minutes for Sporting Huelva before she was replaced by Cinta Del Mar.

The victory took Barcelona two points clear at the top of the Spanish Iberdrola table with nine points after three games while Sporting Huelva languish at the bottom with no points after two outings.

After the international break, Sporting will visit Sevilla in their next league outings on November 1, while Barcelona welcome Real Betis on the same day.

Valenciennes goalkeeper Jerome Prior claimed he was bitten in the face during a scuffle at the end of Saturday's Ligue 2 match with Sochaux.

Players from both sides clashed after the final whistle of the 0-0 draw at Stade du Hainaut, with Prior seen recoiling after a coming-together with Sochaux's Ousseynou Thioune.

The 25-year-old shot-stopper left the pitch bleeding from his cheek, but his manager was unable to shed light on the incident post-match.

"Jerome has a bite on his cheek," said Valenciennes head coach Olivier Guegan after the match. "I was in the dressing room; I didn't see anything.

"It's a shame the post-match will tarnish the game, but that's not the most important thing. We put in a coherent and strong performance against a team that is unbeaten and in a really good dynamic.

"I really liked the spirit of the group."

Prior, who is currently on loan at Valenciennes from Bordeaux, told French publication So Foot: "There are pictures. The league and justice will do their job. I have no comment to make."

When asked to address the biting accusations by the AFP Agency, Valenciennes president Eddy Zdziech also confirmed Prior has a bite mark on his face, before stating: "This kind of behaviour is serious."

However, Sochaux boss Omar Daf suggested his players had been provoked, saying: "A player doesn't go crazy without something happening first.

"I heard insults at the end of the match. There was a lot of provocation, but you have to have more control."

Sochaux are third in the Ligue 2 standings after seven fixtures, three points behind leaders Paris FC, while Valenciennes are eighth.

Valenciennes will be back in action next Saturday when they take in a trip to Stade de l'Aube to face Troyes, with Sochaux set to play host to Amiens two days later as both clubs continue to chase promotion to the French top flight.

Alex Morgan will have to wait to make her Tottenham debut as the forward revealed a setback has prevented her from featuring in the north London derby against Arsenal on Sunday.

The two-time World Cup winner joined the Women's Super League side on a one-year deal in September  from Orlando Pride after the National Women's Soccer League in the United States was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Morgan has not played a competitive game since 2019 and is looking to regain match fitness to stay in contention for a place in the United States women's national team for the Olympics next year.  

But the 31-year-old will have to wait for her first taste of action in the English league after being ruled out of the clash with the Gunners at Meadow Park.

“Here we go!! A small setback keeping me from doing what I love,” she wrote on Twitter ahead of Sunday’s match.

“Can't wait to get on the field with this team in the next few weeks. Literally can't wait.”

Morgan, who gave birth to her daughter Charlie Elena Carrasco in May this year, admitted this month that her game has suffered because of a lack of match practice. 

“Last week was my first introduction to team training and I felt really sharp, really fit and really fast in individual training,” the USWNT star said .

“Then I get into team training and my touch is all over the place, I’m the slowest on the pitch, my quick to twitch muscles are non-existent.

“In my second week of training it has got a lot better. My speed has increased a lot, still not to a point that I’m super happy with, so I think that I just need to be really patient with myself. Overall, I feel really good, just very sore.”

After the match against Arsenal, Tottenham are next in action on November 3 when they visit Chelsea in the Continental League Cup.

East Bengal officially announced the signing of German midfielder Ville Matti Steinmann ahead of the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season.

Steinmann becomes the fifth foreign signing of the club after Scott Neville, Anthony Pilkington, Aaron Joshua Amadi-Holloway and Daniel Fox.

The 25-year-old midfielder was delighted to sign for the Kolkata club as he said, “I am really looking forward to adding to the strength of SC East Bengal, which is already a top side in India. I have been doing a lot of reading on the club and football in India, and the project under Robbie excites me. I cannot wait to get going, for us and the millions of fans we have across the world.”

A youth product of Hamburger SV, Steinmann made his Bundesliga debut in 2014 against giants Bayern Munich where he had come as a substitute.

Other than Hamburger SV, the German footballer has also played for FSV Mainz 05 and Danish Superliga side Vendsyssel FF. He last played for A-League club Wellington Phoenix in the 2019-20 season where he appeared in 24 matches.

The Hamburg-born footballer has represented Germany at various youth level and was also part of the German U20 team at the U20 World Cup in 2015.

Earlier today, the Red and Golds had confirmed the signing of India international forward Jeje Lalpekhlua and former Scotland international defender Daniel Fox.

Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema has broken Nikita Parris’ record to become the all-time top scorer in Women’s Super League history.

Miedema found the back of the net for the Gunners in Sunday’s north London derby against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, marking her 50th WSL appearance with her 50th goal to make history as Arsenal emerged 6-1 winners.

The 24-year-old then added two more before half time, her achievement made all the more impressive by the fact that she has averaged over a goal per game.

Former record holder Parris, the Lyon forward formerly of Manchester City and Everton, netted 49 goals in 110 games.

Miedema put Arsenal 2-0 up against Tottenham to reach half a century, after Katie McCabe had broken the deadlock with a stunning free kick in just the fourth minute of the first north London derby of the season.

She completed her hat-trick before half time, continuing her fine individual form to hit 10 goals for the WSL season in just five games.

The Dutch international, who was crowned a European champion with her country back in 2017 and reached the Women’s World Cup final last summer, started the campaign with a brace against Reading on the opening weekend, as part of a 6-1 Arsenal win.

She then netted twice more the following week, as the Gunners demolished 10-player West Ham United in a 9-1 victory.

Miedema added another goal in a 3-1 win over Bristol City and bagged her third brace of the season last weekend in a 5-0 win against Brighton.

Since arriving in England back in 2017, Miedema has helped Arsenal win the WSL title and the Continental Cup, finishing as top scorer at the end of both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns. During that time, she has also racked up an impressive number of assists, with 21 in her 50 appearances in the league.

Last year, the Gunners finished third in the standings after the season was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and decided on points per game.

However, they currently sit top of the table this season, boasting a 100 per cent record from the first five games and a goal difference of plus 20, which places them in first, above an Everton side who dropped points today for the first time in a draw with Brighton.

Karl Toko Ekambi netted twice, Tino Kadewere, Jean Aholou and Habib Diallo were also on the scoresheet as Lyon secured a hard-fought 3-2 win over Strasbourg in Sunday’s Ligue 1 game.

Toko Ekambi was afforded his fifth start in the campaign and opened his account to help Rudi Garcia’s men clinch all three points away from home.

The Cameroon international formed a three-man attack along with Memphis Depay and Zimbabwe international Tino Kadewere for Lyon.

Ivory Coast midfielder Aholou was afforded a starting role while Diallo came off the bench to make his contribution for the Racers.

The Kids hit the ground running in the encounter when Kadewere opened the goal surge in the 12th minute after he was set up by Depay.

Eight minutes later, Toko Ekambi doubled Lyon’s lead with a fine effort after benefitting from another Depay assist.

The Cameroon forward then completed his brace in the encounter in the 42nd minute before Diallo pulled one back for Strasbourg shortly before the half-time break.

After the restart, the Racers pushed for a possible equalizer forcing Toko Ekambi and Ivory Coast international Maxwel Cornet to be cautioned.

Aholou then ignited the hopes of Strasbourg, scoring moments before the hour mark after receiving a timely pass from Mohamed Simakan.

Lyon, however, managed to hold on to their lead and secured their second win of the season at Stade de la Meinau.

Toko Ekambi featured for the duration of the game along with Cornet while Kadewere was replaced in the 65th minute by Moussa Dembele.

Aholou was on parade for the entirety of the game while Ghana international Abdul Majeed Waris played for six minutes in the encounter as his side suffered their sixth defeat of the campaign.

The African stars will hope to continue their impressive showings when Lyon take on Monaco and Strasbourg square off against Brest on October 25 respectively.

Uganda Cranes have suffered a huge blow as their defender Bevis Mugabi will miss their Africa Cup of Nations double-header against South Sudan in November.

The burly defender, who was in the Cranes squad which toured Dubai during the Fifa international break, for a ten-day training camp, has been ruled out for up to six weeks by his Scottish club Motherwell FC.

“Bevis Mugabi will be out for four to six weeks with a dislocated shoulder,” the club said in a statement on their official website. “The defender, who has established himself as an important figure in the Motherwell backline, suffered the injury on his return to training earlier this week.”

Speaking on the injury, the club’s manager Stephen Robinson said: “It is a blow to lose Bevis. He has played his way into the team and acquitted himself very well.

“He just seems to be unfortunate that when he gets a run of games, he suffers an injury.”

The Cranes opted to visit Dubai instead of playing friendly matches and their coach Johnathan McKinstry later explained why the Dubai training camp was more important than friendlies.

The Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) decided to take the Cranes to the Middle East for a week-long training camp ahead of a November double-header against South Sudan.

“Overall, I am very pleased with the camp we have completed in Dubai, it has been a very worthwhile six-seven day,” McKinstry said as was quoted by Sports Nation.

“We have done a lot of good work not only on the field but also in the classroom.

“And this is something you don’t often get to do during an international football break because it tends to be a match after a match where your focus is on that opponent and not get much time to look at yourself on how to build for a long time.

“This last week was really about building for the medium and long term, not just for the objectives of the South Sudan double-header in November but also looking for to the rest of the Afcon qualifying and the qualifying series of the World Cup as well.”

The former Rwanda coach was happy, for they concluded the training camp without incidences of coronavirus infection.

“The boys have worked extremely hard, and we have also been able to follow Covid-19 protocols as all our tests returned negative,” he added.

“There have been challenges everywhere, we saw the Guinea game called off.”

McKinstry also promised that he will soon name the players to take on South Sudan for the third Afcon group qualifier.

Mamelodi Sundowns' Denis Onyango and Smouha SC’s Derrick Nsibambi's missed the Dubai trip and the former’s case irked the coach who blasted the club for not releasing his captain.

South Sudan, who are looking for a maiden Afcon qualification, were active during the Fifa break and drew 0-0 with Cameroon.

Uganda are topping Group B on four points same as Burkina Faso while Malawi have three and South Sudan are last without a point.

Ademola Lookman ended a three-year Premier League goal drought in Fulham’s 1-1 draw against Sheffield United.

The forward arrived at Craven Cottage on a season-long loan from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig this summer and has been delivering impressive showings.

Lookman had previously starred for Charlton Athletic and Everton before leaving for Germany to continue his development.

The 22-year-old was handed his first Premier League start for the Cottagers at Bramall Lane following his stand-out performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.

The Nigerian attacker made the most of the opportunity when he scored his first goal for the newly-promoted Premier League side against Sheffield.

The first-half produced few goal-mouth actions, with both sides missing a number of goalscoring opportunities.

After the restart, a glorious opportunity fell in the way of Aleksandar Mitrovic to open the scoring for Fulham but he missed his strike from the penalty spot.

Lookman then put his side in front with a spectacular strike past goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the 77th minute.

The 22-year-old twisted and turned past his markers before firing home a beauty into the roof of the net.

The effort is his first in the Premier League since January 2017 when he made a goalscoring debut for Everton against Manchester City.

Billy Sharp then levelled proceedings for Sheffield United with five minutes left to play to deny the Craven Cottage outfit all three points. 

Lookman featured for the duration of the game along with Nigeria international Ola Aina, who is also another summer recruit and Tosin Adarabioyo.

The forward will hope to continue his impressive performances and help Fulham end their four-game winless run across all competitions when they take on Crystal Palace on October 24.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon was disgusted to find out that someone from within the club had leaked the team's starting XI for Saturday's Old Firm derby against Rangers.

The reigning Scottish champions suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to their city rivals and now sit four points behind them, though the Bhoys have a game in hand.

Celtic's team for the clash was published online prematurely and Lennon fears his job will be made even more difficult if they cannot maintain privacy within the club as they look to seal a 10th consecutive league title. 

"I don't know, it's not great. Somebody within the club is doing us in, basically, and that's disgusting, I think," he told BBC Sport after the defeat. 

"We'll try [to get to the bottom of it], we'll work at it. It's very disappointing.

"Of course it does [make my job more difficult]. I keep talking about a sense of privacy around our club but that doesn't seem to be the case for some people. That's very disappointing from my point of view.

"We've got a run of games now where hopefully players will get fitter, sharper and we get players back from illness as well, then things will start looking better, but this [match] was always going to be an uphill task."

Lennon admits his side were second best to Steven Gerrard's team, but said fitness issues had a role in the performance.

"It looked like what we were, a team put together the day before the game. We gave away two poor goals. Rangers defended their box better than we did, particularly for the second goal we should have done better," he added.

"I'm disappointed that we conceded again from a set-play. Then we missed a great chance, Mohamed Elyounoussi is clean through. Then the psychology of the game changes, when you're 2-0 down you're really chasing the game.

"We've got players who aren't fully fit coming on and didn't have the impact that we were hoping they would have. Look at the players that are missing, your [James] Forrests, [Odsonne] Edouards, [Albian] Ajeti's not fully fit, [Leigh] Griffiths isn't fully fit, so you've got three main strikers not available to start the game so we accepted that, but we still created decent chances, particularly in the first half.

"People can make it out to be whatever they want it to be. For me it's a defeat. We've got a game in hand, we have to maximise that, win the game and stay in touch, get players fitter and sharper.

"It's been disruptive with the Covid, it's been disruptive with a lot of players away on international duty, I'm not sure some of them are on the ball today mentally."

Kaizer Chiefs came back to defeat Maritzburg United 2-1 in the MTN8 quarter-final match at FNB Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Yagan Sasman grabbed two quick goals in the closing stages of the match as Gavin Hunt began his era at Amakhosi with a victory. 

Amakhosi were hoping to finally beat their bogey team as the Team of Choice were enjoying a three-match unbeaten run against Chiefs.

Maritzburg defeated Chiefs twice in the recent season including a Telkom Knockout Cup clash and the other encounter ended in a draw.

Chiefs were starting a new 2020/21 season under a new head coach Gavin Hunt, who had to find a way to mastermind a win over the Team of Choice without several key players.

Itumeleng Khune started in goal as expected with Daniel Akpeyi missing due to a passport issue and Lazarous Kambole led the attack with Samir Nurkovic out injured. 

On the other hand, Maritzburg were starting life without Ghana's finest goalkeeper Richard Ofori, who is set to complete a move to Orlando Pirates and Bongani Mpandle started in goal.

Coach Eric Tinkler named an offensive-minded team with three strikers Thabiso Kutumela, Bongani Hlongwane and Judas Moseamedi all starting.

Maritzburg fired the first warning very early into the match when Kutumela forced Khune into a good save at the near post after the Soweto giants' defence was exposed.

The Team of Choice continued to press Amakhosi and they deservedly took the lead through Kutumela, who beat Khune with a low effort to make it 1-0 to Maritzburg in the 35th minute.

Chiefs tried to respond with a goal, but Mpandle was alert in the visitors' goal-posts as he produced a fine low save to deny Yagan Sasman.

Maritzburg did not sit back and defend as Khune was forced to come out and block Moseamedi's dangerous curling cross, before Hlongwane hit the crossbar as pressure mounted on the hosts.

Chiefs were then able to contain Tinkler's men in the latter stages of the first-half and the score was 1-0 to Maritzburg at the interval.

Hunt introduced Leonardo Castro prior to the start of the second half, but it was Parker, who caused havoc for the Maritzburg defence as the hosts looked to restore parity.

The former FC Twente striker, who was at the heart of every good Chiefs attack, hit the upright with Mpandle well-beaten, before unleashing two powerful shots which narrowly missed the target.

The pressure was mounting on Maritzburg as Njabulo Blom hit the crossbar with a deflected effort and then Chiefs finally levelled matters in the 73rd minute when Sasman netted from Khama Billiat's corner-kick to make it 1-1.

The goal unsettled the Team of Choice defence and the visitors conceded again two minutes later when Sasman scored from another corner-kick from Billiat to make it 2-1 to Chiefs.

Maritzburg launched late attacks as they looked to snatch a late equalizing goal, but the home side stood firm at the back and ultimately, Chiefs emerged 2-1 winners on the day.

The result sees Chiefs join their arch-rivals Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United in the semi-finals, while Maritzburg bowed out of the tournament. 

Hanane Ait El Haj and Peace Efih earned their debuts, while Rachel Nachula made her Spanish Reto Iberdrola scoring-debut for Zaragoza as her effort forced a 1-1 draw against Osasuna on Sunday.

Morocco's Ait El Haj, Nigeria's Efih and Zambia's Nachula joined the Spanish outfit this summer and they were handed starting debuts by coach Nacho Bracero in their side's draw with the visitors.

The two teams created several chances in the opening 45 minutes but could not convert any as they head into the half time break with a stalemate at the Enrique Porta de Villanueva.

After the break, the visitors stunned the hosts when Maria Gonzalez broke the deadlock to put her side in front in the 70th minute.

Three minutes from time, American forward Lana Spitler teed up Nachula inside the area to grab her maiden goal and rescue the hosts from suffering a losing start to their league campaign.

Morocco's Ait El Haj bagged a yellow card while Zambia's Nachula scored her first competitive goal as both were in action for the duration of the match for Zaragoza. 

Besides El Haj and Nachula, Nigeria's Efih featured for 55 minutes before she was replaced by Cara Curtin while Zambia's Hellen Mubanga was an unused substitute for Zaragoza.

The result saw Zaragoza placed fourth on the log with one point after their opening match of the season and they will continue their campaign with a visit to leaders AEM on October 25.

Brighton and Hove Albion rank as the English top-flight side Wilfried Zaha has scored the most goals against, thanks to his opening strike for Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles went into the clash with the ambition of bouncing back from their 4-0 obliteration against Chelsea, however, the game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.

In the 17th minute of the encounter, Roy Hodgson’s men, who made a slow start, were awarded a penalty after Tariq Lamptey pulled back on-loan Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi who was heading for Andros Townsend’s deep cross.

Zaha fired the resulting kick past goalkeeper Mathew Ryan who went the wrong way to give the Eagles an early lead.

With that strike, the former Manchester United man has scored seven times against the Seagulls in all competitions, more than he has against any other Premier League opposition.

Also, that goal was his fourth in five outings in the ongoing 2020-21 season to equal last season’s feat where he achieved that number in 38 outings.

In the second half, Graham Potter’s men tried all their best to level matters, and when they looked dead and buried, super-sub Alexis Mac Allister latched onto a defence-splitting pass from Aaron Connolly before rifling past goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

Palace had the chance to grab a late win during extra-time as the visitors had captain Lewis Dunk sent off. Even at that, the game ended on a no winner, no vanquished note.

While Senegal's Cheikhou Kouyate and Zaha were in action from start to finish, Ghana's Jeffrey Schlupp who was handed a starter's role was substituted for Christian Benteke in the 88th minute.

Schlupp’s compatriot Jordan Ayew was not listed for the game, while Anglo-Nigerian Eberechi Eze was an unused substitute.

For Brighton, Malian midfielder Yves Bissouma played every minute of the game, although he was cautioned in the 43rd minute.

With this result, Crystal Palace are now placed 12th having accrued seven points from five games played so far this season.

They would be gunning for their third triumph of the season when they travel to Craven Cottage on October 24 for a date against Scott Parker’s Fulham who are winless in all games played so far.

For Brighton, they are placed 16th in the log with just four points. They welcome Semi Ajayi’s West Bromwich Albion to the American Express Community Stadium on October 26.