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Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) chairperson Nita Ambani welcomed the inclusion of East Bengal into the Indian Super League (ISL) on Sunday.

The Red and Golds join their arch rivals Mohun Bagan, who merged with ATK, in the country's top division. Ambani felt that the entry of both the Kolkata giants in the ISL is a monumental development for the Indian football ecosystem at large.

“It is such a happy and proud moment for ISL as we welcome East Bengal FC and their millions of fans into the League. The inclusion of both legacy clubs, i.e. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan (now ATK Mohun Bagan) opens limitless possibilities for Indian football, especially for talent development in the state," she said.

The development comes after Kolkata-based cement giants, Shree Cement Limited, acquired majority stakes in East Bengal to form 'Shree Cement East Bengal Foundation' which had picked up the bid process to enter ISL.

East Bengal will now become the 11th team to participate in the ISL which started off as an eight-team competition back in 2014. Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC joined in 2017 to take the tally up to 10.

Mohun Bagan, meanwhile, merged with ISL champions ATK. This also means the intense rivalry of the Kolkata derby will now feature in the ISL.

Mrs. Ambani felt that West Bengal, a football-mad state, is set to benefit from this development.

"West Bengal has made an immense contribution to the growth of the beautiful game in India. ISL’s growing footprint in the state and across India, is yet another step towards our mission of building a competitive and robust football ecosystem in the country,” she added.

Ibrahima Niane continued with his impressive goalscoring form after he found the net as Metz played out a 1-1 draw at Olympique Marseille.

Coming into the clash at Stade Velodrome, the Senegal youth international’s brace inspired the Maroons to a 2-1 win over Metz.

Against Andre Villas-Boas’ team, he was on song again although the hosts secured a point thanks to a late effort from Morgan Sanson.

Before kick-off, Valere Germain was presented with a framed “100” jersey having reached a century of appearances for the Phocaeans.

From the blast of the referee’s whistle, Marseille took the game to the visitors, dominating ball possession as well as creating scoring opportunities.

Their first attempt at goal saw Florian Thauvin play a free-kick that was saved by Algeria international Alexandre Oukidja.

Another chance beckoned in the 15th minute but Dimitri Payet failed to convert Dario Benedetto's well-orchestrated pass.

On the stroke of half-time, Thauvin sent in a cross to Benedetto – with the Argentine responding with a scissor-kick that sailed wide.

Villas-Boas’ team looked more dangerous at the beginning of the second half, but it was Metz who took the initiative with 20 minutes left to play as Niane headed a cross from Matthieu Udol past Steve Mandanda.

That strike prompted the Olympians’ manager to make five changes – bringing on board Germain, Kevin Strootman, Tunisia's Saif-Eddine Khaoui, Pape Gueye and Nemanja Radonjic.

Even at that, they were unable to get the equaliser as Vincent Hognon’s men put up a strong defensive display.

Nevertheless, the earned a crucial point in the closing stages of the encounter as Sanson fired past Oukidja after he was set up by Serbia’s Radonjic.

Thanks to his latest goal, Niane now boasts of three Ligue 1 goals in the 2020-21 season.

He was replaced in the 76th minute by compatriot Habibou Diallo, while Ghana’s John Boye, Mali’s Mamadou Fofana and Cote d’Ivoire’s Habib Maiga saw every minute of action.

Opa Nguette came off for countryman Pape Yade with four minutes left to play.

Thanks to this result, they sit in the 16th position with four points from five games. They welcome Lorient to the Stade Saint-Symphorien on October 4.

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has revealed a “slight strain” kept Ghana international Jeffrey Schlupp out of Saturday’s Premier League defeat to Everton.

A starter in the Eagles’ opening two games, the midfielder was a conspicuous absentee from the matchday three 2-1 home loss at Selhurst Park.

The fixture was Palace’s first reversal of the new term following back-to-back wins over Manchester United and Southampton.

"Unfortunately, he picked up a slight strain. We were hoping he’d recover in time but we will have to do without him today,” Hodgson explained after Saturday’s tie, as reported by his club’s official website.

Saturday’s revelation about Schlupp’s fitness comes just a day after he was named in a 23-man Ghana squad for an international friendly against Mali in October, his call-up marking an end to an 18-month absence from national duty.

In his absence for the Premier League tie, summer signing Eberechi Eze took the 27-year-old’s place in Palace’s line-up.

"He [Eze] has done well since he has come into the club. His training has been impressive," Hodgson said, “but of course Jeffrey Schlupp has had that position [left-midfield] nailed down basically through the good work he did in pre-season."

Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring for visiting Everton in the 10th minute before Cheikhou Kouyate found the back of the net to level things at Selhurst Park.

Five minutes prior to full-time, Brazil attacker Richarlison converted a penalty for the away side to seal a 2-1 triumph on the road.

"I thought we started slowly and got ourselves back into the game well. And going towards half-time we were establishing some sort of control of the game,” added Hodgson.

"In particular, the second half, I thought the way the players got over the disappointment of finding themselves two goals to one down, in a way they felt was very harsh, and the way they approached the second-half was very positive.

"There were lots of very good individual performances and I would count Eberechi’s as one of those.”

Fifth on the league standings, Palace will hope to bounce back when they face Chelsea in their next game on Saturday.

Swansea City boss Steve Cooper was full of praise for Ghana star Andre Ayew and his team-mates on the back of the side’s 2-0 away victory over Wycombe Wanderers in the Championship on Saturday.

The 30-year-old attacker was undoubtedly the star of the party as he stabbed the ball into the net from close range to put the Jack Army 1-0 up in the 13th minute, before setting up Jamal Lowe to make it 2-0 10 minutes later.

Swansea are yet to concede a goal in three league games played so far this season.

“I have said before that to keep a clean sheet in the Championship is no mean feat, so to be able to keep three in a row is excellent,” Cooper said after the game, as reported by his club’s official website.

“The challenge now is to try and keep that going in the next game. I knew the stat about three in a row as Joe Rodon had mentioned it to me, and it’s good to have done that. But we don’t want to look back, we have to look forward.

“But we are defending well as a team, and don’t underestimate how important the work and running Jamal, Andre [Ayew] and Morgan [Gibbs-White] do up the top of the pitch, putting pressure on defenders and forcing them to go long.

“It helps out the backline, the midfield are competing well and the boys at the back are defending for their lives. We played well on and off the ball today.”

Currently second on the league table, Swansea have set their sights on finishing the season with a Premier League promotion ticket after narrowly missing out last term.  

“First and foremost it’s a good result, any win away from home in the Championship is and that is reflected in the mood in the dressing room,” said Cooper.

 “We are really pleased with the result and performance. We would have liked to have carried the way we played on into the second half, and that was certainly the intention at half-time.”

Saturday’s goal was Ayew’s first strike of the league season, having netted 16 times in the last campaign.

He has been called up for Ghana's friendly fixture against Mali in October.

If Crotone were under any illusions as to the sort of waters they would be swimming in following their promotion from Serie B, they were swiftly dispelled last Sunday.

Against Genoa, who last season finished just a place above the relegation zone, the Serie A returnees were hammered 4-1 in what was the rudest welcome since Little Red Riding Hood found a ravenous wolf lurking where her grandmother should have been.

Sure, Rolando Maran’s side have made some astute additions in the transfer window, with the likes of Milan Badelj, Davide Zappacosta and Mattia Destro (among others) arriving at the Luigi Ferraris. Still though, the gulf in quality Crotone found on the opening day was, in itself, a primer for a long, and possibly dreary, season ahead.

On the visitors’ part, Giovanni Stroppa’s options have not undergone a significant overhaul.

Ultimately, it appears the plan coming into this season was to lean on their strengths in Serie B, specifically an attack that got them 63 goals, a tally only bettered by titlists Benevento.

Central to that idea is Simy Nwankwo, who accounted for 24 of those directly – 20 goals and 4 assists – and whose 29 percent conversion rate (of goals to shots) marked him out as one of the finest marksmen in Europe; for context, European Golden Boot winner Ciro Immobile’s conversion rate of 30 percent was significantly boosted by 14 penalties, whereas Simy scored all but four of his total from open play.

That plan may, however, prove inadequate, especially in light of events against Genoa.

While debuting striker Emmanuel Riviere pulled one back to lend a semblance of competitiveness to the encounter before the hosts ran away with it in the second half, Simy endured a frustrating time back in the top-flight.

After meeting a teasing cross with a weak poke to fritter away a gilt-edged opportunity at 2-0, he planted a header against the upright from a free-kick before fading from view for the rest of the game; the second may be ascribed to bad fortune, but the former seemed to conjure up old questions surrounding his aptitude for the highest level.

With Crotone in 2017/18, the giant centre-forward also had to grapple with those very concerns. Although he finished the season with seven goals and an assist, six of those came in a purple patch at the tail end of the season. That streak that was enough to earn him a place with the Nigeria squad at that summer’s World Cup, although he has not been involved in the national team selection since.

On the whole, he only started 11 games as the Pythagoreans missed out on safety by three points.

That neatly summarizes the concerns around Simy: for all that he has proven quite prolific over the last two seasons, he is a streakier scorer than he is a consistent one; and even that volume seems to not translate very well at a level higher than Serie B.

In lower divisions, his 6ft 6in frame makes him an awkward customer to get to grips with, but as the quality and experience is raised – as at the World Cup and during his last stint in Serie A – the novelty factor wears off a little and his flaws become more apparent.

Of course, there is no law against exploiting every possible advantage (including lolloping awkwardness), and for all his foibles he is still coming off a 20-goal season. He remains a handful in the air, whence he headed home six of his goals last term, and he does possess the ability to bring his team mates into play with his back to goal. However, it is worth noting that last season he attempted fewer than two shots a game and missed 14 big chances in Serie B, hardly the sort of tallies to inspire great optimism or suggest repeatability at a more onerous level.

If a markdown is to be expected based on the transition to a tougher division, then a higher volume in terms of shots would be a handy predictor of better things.

At 28, Simy clearly has a lot still to prove. With the hopes of a modest clubside resting on his ability to rise to the occasion, it is even more imperative that Simy proves himself capable of carrying that expectation; only then will that lingering seed of doubt be extinguished.

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) outfit Sofapaka have continued with their transfer activities by raiding Soy United for the services of goalkeeper trainer John Waw.

Waw, who turned out for Chemelil Sugar in the top-tier before hanging up his gloves, has signed a one-year deal with Batoto ba Mungu from Division One side Soy United.

“I have officially moved from Soy United to Sofapaka on a one-year contract,” Waw told Goal on Sunday.

“It is a good move for me considering Sofapaka are playing in the top-flight while Soy United were in the lower league.

“I know the task which comes when you sign for a top-flight team and my target is to help Sofapaka achieve their goals for the season, I am ready to work with the technical bench led by coach John Baraza, to make sure that the team achieves their targets for the new campaign.”

The 2009 league champions have been busy in the transfer market as they rebuild for the new season, and have already signed a number of players, among them Michael Bodo from Kariobangi Sharks, Roy Okal from Mathare United, goalkeeper Kevin Omondi and striker Paul Kiongera from Wazito FC.

Other new signings include Nigeria striker Michael Tuborlayefa Karamor from Lagos Athletico and defender Isaac Mitima from Rwanda giants APR.

In a recent interview with Goal, Sofapaka president Elly Kalekwa once again reiterated his desire to see the team win the KPL title for the first time since 2009.

“We want to have a competitive squad made of quality players for the new season," Kalekwa told Goal. “The league title is top of our priority and it is the reason why we are going for players who can help us achieve that.”

Kalekwa also revealed Lawrence Juma’s move from KPL champions Gor Mahia to Sofapaka is almost done.

“Everything is looking up regarding the player and I believe we will have him sooner or later,” Kalekwa told Goal.

“The deal is 90% done and in a couple of days, it will be finalized, it is as good as done.

“Juma is an exceptional player and his potential was at display in the abandoned 2019/20 season for Gor Mahia.”

Last season, Batoto ba Mungu pushed for a 10th place finish after managing to collect 31 points from the 23 matches played.

The Baraza-led charges managed to win eight matches, drawing seven and losing eight.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard believes that it is too soon to start talking about winger Ryan Kent as a potential England player – and it is not something the player currently needs.

The former Liverpool man was an impressive presence as the Gers thumped Eredivisie outfit Willem II 4-0 away from home on Thursday to book their place in the Europa League play-off round.

Now, though, rather than thinking of the Three Lions, Gerrard wants to see his charge focus on Sunday’s forthcoming Premiership match with Motherwell.

“I think Ryan should just continue to do what he's doing, which is playing well and trying to find that consistency,” he told Sky Sports. “Keep trying to keep the numbers in his games in terms of assists and goals. Everything else will take care of itself.

“I don't think Ryan Kent needs any England headlines right now. I'm sure Gareth is looking at all the talent up and down the country and around Europe, but Ryan Kent just needs to focus on Rangers and keep doing well.

“As a player in my younger days, that's what I tried to do for Liverpool and then international recognition comes naturally if you're performing well for your club.”

The performances of the 23-year-old have attracted a good deal of interest, with Leeds having an offer knocked back by the Ibrox side, who have reiterated that one of their star performers is simply not for sale.

“When you get these exciting players in this form it's only natural that people are watching them from afar, but from our point of view he's not for sale. We don't want him to go and we want him to keep evolving here with us,” Gerrard said.

“He's certainly improving and he's evolving. He's adding different dimensions to his game. He's happy, he's fit and he's looking really sharp. We're really enjoying Ryan's form at the moment. He's bringing some real highs into the team. He was fantastic again [against Willem]. He changed the game for us from an attacking point of view.”

Gerrard’s men can put pressure on Celtic with a win over Motherwell, with the Hoops tackling in-form Hibernian later in the day.

The agent of Meddie Kagere, Patrick Gakumba, has reiterated the striker will continue to hurt teams in the Mainland Premier League if he gets playing time with Simba SC.

The Rwandan striker, who joined the Wekundu wa Msimbazi from Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Gor Mahia in 2018, has already won two Golden Boot awards with Simba, including last season when he scored 22 goals.

However, coach Sven Vandenbroeck has not been starting the player in the new season, preferring captain John Bocco, but in the last two matches, Kagere started and scored the third goal against Biashara United in a 4-0 win and was on target again as Simba beat promoted Gwambina FC 3-0 on Saturday.

It is the reason Gakumba has urged the Belgian coach to give the player playing time, as he will not regret the decision since Kagere is still the best striker in the Tanzanian league and can hurt many teams.

“I have a 100 percent believe in Kagere, and I am sure if he continues to start for Simba, he will still bag the Golden Boot yet again,” Gakumba is quoted saying by Sokaletu.

“I want to thank Simba management and the coach for once again starting to give Kagere the chance to show what he can do, he is always followed back here in Rwanda and his fans are very happy because they can now see him in action again.

“It is the reason why teams like APR came for his signature when there were issues with his playing time at Simba but that is now gone.

"Kagere is a complete striker, he knows what to do with the ball, he doesn’t waste chances and I am happy to see him back in action again, he is still the same player, aggressive and ready to score goals, but I am sure when Simba start playing international matches, they will see his true colours.”

Against Gwambina, Kagere was preferred to start in the absence of Bocco and proved his doubters wrong after glancing home the opening goal in the 40th minute.

Ivorian defender Pascal Wawa then fired home the second from a free-kick before Chris Mugalu completed an excellent night with a third goal in stoppage-time to ensure his team moved into the second position.

Simba now have 10 points, two fewer than Azam FC who beat Tanzania Prisons 1-0 to keep their perfect start to the season intact.

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has revealed how he would like to see the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) handle the 2020/21 season.

The FKF is expected to run the top-tier after the contract of the KPL ended and whereas Shikanda acknowledged difficulties under the previous management, he feels most of the problems could have been solved had the stakeholders been more proactive.

“We have been having KPL for some time and, unfortunately, there were problems,” Shikanda told Bonga Futaa Online TV.

“Remember when Sony Sugar were relegated after the walkovers of which the first one was to AFC Leopards, I raised the issue with key KPL people and told them there is somewhere we are not going right.

“Since I was elected AFC Leopards chair, I attended only one KPL meeting and I thought deep inside me that maybe we were not planning enough. We should have met more often, discuss our problems and see how we could solve them.

“For example, when the sponsor pulled out, we had to pay the referees but everyone was reluctant in finding a sponsor. Things were not happening and it was a difficult year. 

“To host one match in Machakos, a club like AFC Leopards will need a bare minimum of KSh150,000 and that does not include training camp costs and at the end as the host team, the club gets nothing. 

“What the transition needs to do is make sure structures are in place to ensure that there is continuity especially in sponsorship.”

The former Ingwe player also restated his earlier opinion that Gor Mahia and Bandari should represent Kenya in the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup tournaments, respectively, as they did in the previous season.

“I think the season ended and it was unfortunate how it ended abruptly," he added.

“Somehow somebody had foreseen this when he was doing the rules handbook between the federation and the clubs.

“Unfortunately, we were not enlightened enough and all of us tried to interpret the rules differently after the season ended abruptly. What I am saying as Shikanda and of course as AFC Leopards, let the season be null and void and let Gor Mahia and Bandari represent us as they did in the last season.

“The two should have automatic slots should the season be considered null and void. From where I sit, annulling the season is the most logical thing to do but people have their own takes on it as well.”

The FKF presented Gor Mahia’s name to Caf as Kenya’s representatives in the premier continental competition.

Liverpool legend and former England international Robbie Fowler is all set to join East Bengal as their head coach for the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season, Goal can confirm. The discussions between the two parties began close to three weeks back. 

Fowler, who had last managed A-League side Brisbane Roar FC had a successful season in Australia. Under the Brit’s tutelage, the club had finished fourth in the league stage with 40 points from 26 matches and had made it to the Finals Series of the competition.

Unfortunately in the Elimination finals, Brisbane Roar went down 0-1 against Western United FC and were knocked out.

Fowler’s managerial career began during the 2011-12 season with Thailand’s top division side Muangthong United where he was still playing. Fowler was appointed as the club’s player-manager in the middle of the season and he had guided the team to a third-placed finish at the end of the season.

After that season, the former English star had moved away from coaching and did not manage any club until last season.

Fowler, a youth product of Liverpool had made his senior debut for the Reds in 1993 and went to play until 2001. In 2001, he had moved to Liverpool’s arch-rivals Leeds United where he had spent two seasons before joining Manchester City.

He had once again returned to his childhood club in 2006 and had spent two more seasons at the club. Fowler is Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer of all time with 183 goals. He is also Premier League’s all-time seventh highest goal scorer with 163 to his name.

It will be interesting to see how a high profile name like Robbie Fowler can lead East Bengal as they make the step up to the ISL.

Antonio Conte enjoyed seeing his substitutions pay off as Inter claimed a roller coaster 4-3 win over Fiorentina in Serie A and believes Christian Eriksen is poised for a better season with the club.

Inter came from behind with two goals in the final five minutes of a wild game in their season opener against Fiorentina at San Siro on Saturday.

Franck Ribery was outstanding for Fiorentina and teed up two goals in the second half, with substitute Dusan Vlahovic squandering a chance to give the visitors a 4-2 lead after another exceptional piece of play from the veteran Frenchman.

Ribery was hauled off after 83 minutes, with Fiorentina taking the chance to give him a rest, but the Viola were then rocked by late goals from Romelu Lukaku and Danilo D'Ambrosio that earned 2019-20 Europa League runners-up Inter all three points.

Inter head coach Conte sent on Achraf Hakimi and Alexis Sanchez, and it was their crosses that led to the late goals. Like Hakimi, former Barcelona player Arturo Vidal was introduced off the bench for a Nerazzurri debut in the second half.

Conte said via Inter's website: "The changes brought benefits. I am happy and the guys know it. It will be a long and tiring season. There will be room for everyone and everyone will be needed.

"The three points are important, we have had many chances and we found the way to goal four times. This is the positive aspect but at the same time we cannot concede three goals like this."

The former Juventus and Italy boss said Inter lacked the right balance between defence and attack.

"In this respect we were not careful and we need to improve," Conte said. "If you want to play high-level championships, balance is the basis of everything."

Conte also saw signs from Eriksen that the former Tottenham midfielder could have a big role to play this season, having struggled to adapt to Serie A last term.

"Compared to when he arrived he has increased the engine revs, he is playing in his ideal position," Conte said.

"I think he had a good game. We are working with him because we know he has important qualities.

"I have faith in him, he is a guy who trains very well and makes himself available to the team. I hope he will soon be able to strike the spark that will take him to the maximum."

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed he "had a little bit of a go" at Marcus Rashford during their dramatic 3-2 win over Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday. 

Solskjaer's side conceded first against the Seagulls and let in an injury-time equaliser, only to claim all three points after Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty that was awarded after the full-time whistle had been blown. 

Rashford scored the Red Devils' second goal of the game after being released by Fernandes in the 55th minute and also had another strike ruled out. 

While an overall promising performance from the England international, Solskjaer admitted he did call Rashford out in the first-half as he looked to ignite the attacker. 

"He was getting better and better. I had a little bit of a go at him halfway through the first-half for a tackle he evaded, but I think his reaction, his sharpness is getting better, he's more direct," Solskjaer said of Rashford post-match.

"You can see his confidence is getting there. Great goal and great run - and great finish for the one that was disallowed as well. And I think Marcus will really kick on this season.

"I’m very happy for Marcus to get that goal. He was just a couple of inches offside on a counter-attack we had, with a great cross from Mason [Greenwood]." 

The goal was Rashford's first in the league this season and comes just days after he also struck in a 3-0 win over Luton Town in the Carabao Cup. 

Rashford scored 22 goals in all competitions last campaign and was recently named as the most skillful player Jadon Sancho has lined up alongside to date.  

Despite his strong stats last season, Rashford felt he could have done much better and has challenged himself to do even move over the next 12 months. 

"I missed four or five months and in my mind, I could have done much more this season. But for whatever reason, it didn't happen," Rashford told the PA News Agency earlier this month.

"I never lose touch with reality and I know next season, I have to come back better than I was last season.

"It was always my dream to play for Manchester United and to play as many games as I have is definitely a proud feeling. But as a player and as a person, it makes me want more and just to keep improving every day."

There was to be no new manager bounce for Selangor in their matchday nine Malaysia Super League encounter against UiTM FC on Saturday.

The team that had earlier this week sacked head coach B. Satiananthan for poor performances finished the first half with a comfortable 2-0 lead through goals by Ifedayo Olusegun and Sandro da Silva, but a disastrous start to the second half saw them concede three goals to the in-form university side. Only a final-gasp handball penalty spared the blushes for the Red Giants, with Olusegun equalising from the spot.

Selangor technical director and interim head coach Michael Feichtenbeiner explained after the match that things could have gone much better for his charges had they been able to maintain their first half performance.

"I'm not happy with the draw because we had expected to win. In the first half my players did well, dominated the game and created chances, which is not easy against a UiTM that had conceded only one goal after the [post-lockdown] league resumption.

"But after the break we lost our shape a little bit and were affected their dangerous set-pieces, and the 15 minutes period after halftime was a disaster. But one good thing was that the players' kept their morale up and persevered, which helped them equalise at the last minute.

"UiTM had no chances at all in the first half, but in the second, they pulled one back with their very first corner and we started losing focus. My team had been conceding a lot of goals in the past, so they may have been affected by the quick second half goal. We will talk about and work on this for the coming matches because we need to be more stable in defence.

"We need and want to be able to play like we did in the first half, but for throughout the 90 minutes. Even today, after conceding three goals, we slowly got back in the game, pressured [the opponents] thanks to the new substitutions," he said 

Asked by a reporter whether he is confident of winning their last two league matches, against relegation-threatened PDRM FA and Felda United, the German responded in the affirmative.

"We have to work so that we can dominate the match for the 90 minutes and this needs training, training, training, and we want to win against PDRM next week, for sure. 

"I am confident of winning the coming matches. Tonight we scored three times against a team that had conceded only one goal in their previous four matches (UiTM have actually conceded two goals). Offence-wise, we were the much-better team especially in the first half. I'm confident we can win with our current players," explained Feichtenbeiner.

League One side Oxford United were left stranded on Saturday after their bus was unable to transport them to their game against Accrington Stanley. 

The driver was unable to even start the bus after antibacterial spray, used as part of coronavirus protocols, lead to the vehicle being locked as a result of alcohol being detected in the air. 

Without a bus, Oxford had to use taxis and their own cars to get to the game, which they remarkably ended up winning 4-1 despite only just making it to the ground on time. 

Oxford manager Karl Robinson described the crazy circumstances of their arrival and is hopeful their next trip away isn't quite so eventful. 

"It was a great performance at the end of one of the most difficult seven days I have ever had as a manager and my only disappointment is that we couldn’t share it with the fans," Robinson told Oxford's website post-match. 

"We tried to leave the hotel for the ground and the team bus wouldn’t start. We take the protocols very seriously and there is a spray inside the bus that sends out a fine antibacterial mist, but it had got into the sensors and has alcohol in it so was saying the driver couldn’t drive!

"So we had to drive in our own cars and book taxis and got to the ground in the nick of time. I had to say to the referee ‘Hold on, the teamsheet will be here in time but Rob Hall is carrying it and he was in the car behind me!

"We ended up being on time and we went through our warm up properly and then I thought we started the game really well and fully deserved the win. But I’d like to dedicate it to all the fans back home who have stuck with us and who we know would have loved to be with us.

"It’s a day I will always remember and now we move on and prepare for Crewe at home next weekend. Hopefully with a less dramatic build up."

Oxford's win was from straightforward either with only three late goals and a red card to Accrington's Dion Charles securing Robinson's side their first three points of the season. 

Anwar Ali chose not to appear before the AIFF's (All India Football Federation) Sports Medical Committee on Saturday morning, Goal can confirm.

This was after the defender submitted a plea with the AIFF, seeking a hearing to contest his case and explain why he should be allowed to play despite being diagnosed with a congenital heart disease.

Though the federation granted him an audience, he could not present himself before the committee at such 'short notice.'

The Medical Committee comprises of Dr Vece Paes, Chairman, Dr GD Gandhi, Deputy Chairman, and five other members in Dr Harsh Mahajan, Dr Nisha Alvares, Dr Nisith Chowdhury, Dr PSM Chandran, and Dr Pralay Majumdar. 

It is the same committee that recommended to the AIFF not to allow Anwar Ali to engage in any competitive or physical sports, particularly football.

AFC's (Asian Football Confederation) Medical Committee Chairman, Dr Dato Gurucharan Singh, was also ready to be present at the meeting and hear what Anwar had to say.

It was Dr. Singh who had earlier told AIFF that it was a risk to allow Anwar to play. He had said that 'competitive sports activity is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiovascular death (SCD) in adolescents and young adults with clinically silent cardiovascular disorders.' 

The AIFF's Emergency Committee is expected to take a final call soon on whether Anwar will be allowed to play competitive football in India or not.

But it is likely that the Emergency Committee will stick to the advisory provided by the in-house medical committee and AFC's chief medical officer.

It is understood that Anwar is mulling legal options in case the AIFF decides not to allow him to play professional, competitive football.

Even, when Ali travelled to France in 2019, to be examined by Dr Francois Carre, chief of the medical department of sports medicine at the University Hospital of Rennes, he also opined that the “practice of a competitive sport in competition presented an excessively high risk of a serious cardiac accident." 

In August 2020, the defender went for further investigation at Sonoscan Healthcare Kolkata under cardiologist Dr Ashfaque Ahmed. The medical practitioner opined that the player may engage in physical (contact sport) activity but there is a small risk of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD).

In September 2020, Anwar visited Apollo Gleneagles in Kolkata where he was examined by Consultant Cardiologist Dr Shankha Surbha Das with all the past reports. He confirmed the diagnosis of left apical ventricular hypertrophy and stated that Anwar was not fit for competitive sports.

Then, another Cardiac MRI scan was conducted at Amri Hospital Kolkata by Dr Hirak Ray Chowdhury. The report found Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) and the player was sent to Dr Harsh Mahajan and Dr Nisha Alvares for their opinions.

Dr Mahajan's report stated that the player cannot participate in high impact sports, like football. Similarly, Dr Alvares also concluded that competitive football exposes Anwar to substantial risk to his life which the federation (AIFF) ideally should not take.  

It is highly unlikely that the Indian FA will go against the recommendation of medical experts.

FC Goa is one of the most consistent teams in the Indian Super League (ISL), reaching the play-offs five times out of six so far.

Though they are yet to win the ISL title, the Gaurs evoke passion and following among the lovers of the beautiful game in Goa.

This edition of Goal 's 'Sharp Minds' quiz is for the die hard fans of the Gaurs.

As we see football take a backseat among the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, here's your chance to while away some time.

We will bring you a set of 10 questions, a mixture of easy and tough ones, every week on Indian football. Try answering them on your own (without googling, we hope) and see how much you know about Indian football.

Share your scores with others and showboat. The latest edition of Sharp Minds is right here. Have fun.

NOTE : You are welcome to contact us through social media, if you need any clarification on the answers. We will try, to the best of our abilities, to explain.

UiTM FC head coach Frank Bernhardt was sorry that his in-form charges' progress was scuppered by an external factor, in their 3-3 Malaysia Super League round nine draw against Selangor on Saturday.

Despite trailing 2-0 at halftime to the home side, the university side mounted a stunning comeback after the break through goals by Gustavo (48', 58') and Rabih Ataya (52'). But an unfortunate last-seconds handball awarded the Red Giants a penalty, which was then converted by Ifedayo Olusegun for the equaliser.

Speaking to the press after the match, Bernhardt revealed his team's last-minute diffculty heading into the match.

"We got here with 10 players facing stomach problems from the hotel [food]. It started in the morning and two guys even had to be hospitalised. As a result, we were not really in the game in the first half. Selangor played powerfully, maybe a little too powerfully because they weren't able to keep it up in the second half.

"I was a little angry that despite having discussed the instructions before the match and the players saying they understood them, they later failed to execute the plans. Thankkfully when Selangor's intensity dropped in the second half, we were given the space and options. Gustavo did well to keep the ball up and score a brace. 

"We should have come away with the three points after the boys' hardwork. It's good that we were able to take our chances in the second, because now we're 100 per cent safe from relegation," explained the former Malaysia U-23 head coach.

Asked whether he would now use their remaining two league matches to provide their younger players with playing time, the German however said he was adamant to lead them to finish the league campaign as high as possible in the standings.

"We want to take it all the way to the end and finish the season in a good place, in the table. It's a shame that we drew today because Kedah lost today, to Pahang, and the teams near us in the standings will face each other in the remaining matches."