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Kenyans must change their attitude and culture if they are to emulate love for football exhibited by the Tanzanians, according to former Gor Mahia treasurer Sally Bolo.

Bolo claimed the East Africans have always shown passionate love for football irrespective of the teams that are playing.

The former Green Army official picked an example of the 2017 match between the Kenyan Premier League giants Gor and Premier League side Everton in Dar es Salaam to reinforce her point of how the Tanzanians have embraced football regardless of the participants.

“The level of passion for football in Tanzania is extremely amazing. Big up. We need to change our attitude and culture to pull such a crowd,” Bolo Tweeted. “True, we only go to the stadium when our teams are playing.

“In Tanzania, things are different. Those people go to the stadium even if both teams are from other countries.

“A case study; when Gor Mahia were playing against Everton. Look at Cecafa tournaments held in Tanzania, they watch the match live.”

Bolo was also impressed by how Premier League and FA Cup winners Simba SC organised their Simba Day on Saturday.

“Wow, this [was] awesome! Look at the crowd and atmosphere. It’s full house at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam as Tanzanian giants Simba celebrate Simba Day.

“That was extraordinary and well-executed by Simba management. Truth be told, their fans are very passionate and love the beautiful game.”

Bolo’s suggestions come after former Cecafa General-Secretary Nicholas Musonye claimed Kenyans had abdicated their roles of supporting own teams.

“If Harambee Stars are playing at Nyayo Stadium and only 15,000 people turn up what is that? Football is people,” Musonye said in an earlier interview. “Look at our AFC Leopards vs Gor Mahia match where it has failed to attract people. Our people have immersed themselves in betting and European football.

“In an AFC Leopards match against Sofapaka, you can only be assured of 300 supporters attending. Others are hiding somewhere, drinking alcohol, betting and gossiping.”

Apart from the Simba Day, Yanga are have organised the Yanga Day whose events will culminate on August 29, while Azam FC are conducting Azam Festival 2020, both of which are events planned to meet and interact with fans before every new season.

Those moments are unique to Tanzanian clubs as no other regional team do the same.

In the ongoing transfer window, Tanzanian sides have attracted key foreign players who impressed for their former sides in the previous seasons.

Joash Onyango, Larry Bwalya and Chrispine Mugalu signed for Simba, whereas Yacouba Sogne, Michael Sarpong, Mukoko Tonombe, and Tuisila Kisinda are among the foreigners who landed at Yanga.

Azam FC, the former league and cup champions, signed Zimbabwe international Prince Dube.

The arrival of Ugandan duo Cleo Ssetubba and Joseph Zziwa at Biashara United is further indication that the Mainland League has become attractive to the region's best talent.

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra says that he and Cristiano Ronaldo were quick to recommend Bruno Fernandes to manager Ole Gunnar Solakjer ahead of the Portuguese midfielder's January move.

Fernandes made the move to Old Trafford this winter, joining the Red Devils from Sporting CP in a  €55 million (£47m/$60m) move.

The midfielder has started strong with the club, rapidly becoming a key figure under Solskajer.

Fernandes has already scored 12 goals in 22 matches for the club, helping Man Utd seal a top-four finish while reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League.

And Evra says that, although Man Utd aren't ready to challenge for Premier League titles just yet, Fernandes' addition has been a step in the right direction for the club in the quest to return to that level.

“United can’t challenge Liverpool or Man City. Not yet. There’s been massive damage but we’re moving in the right direction," Evra told the Guardian. 

"When they wanted to sign Bruno Fernandes, Ole texted me. I asked for advice from Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano says: ‘Bruno’s a good guy and very professional.’

"I say: ‘Ole, I’ve spoken with Cristiano. Let’s go for it.’ And Fernandes had a massive impact. Without him, I don’t think we would have qualified for the Champions League.”

While Fernandes' on-the-field impact has been massive, Evra says that the most important thing the midfielder has brought is something else.

With Fernandes now a key figure, Evra says that Paul Pogba is playing more freely, allowing the French star to flourish now that he has a partner that can command attention.

“Paul’s really misunderstood. People talk more about his hairstyle but he’s a great kid, a shy boy actually," Evra said. 

"It was important for Fernandes to relieve that attention on Paul. It wasn’t fair. Paul is a happy person and we have been close so long. He Facetimed me yesterday at 11:30 pm. I said: ‘Paul, I’m in bed. Let me sleep.’”

Evra also added that he believes Solskjaer is the right man to bring trophies back to Old Trafford, with the former Man Utd striker guiding the club to a top-four spot in his first full season in charge.

“United have qualified for the Champions League. It’s not a big achievement but it’s massive progress from where we’ve come," he said. 

"I love Ole. One game we’re on the bench and I started talking. He said: ‘Patrice. I’m focused.’

"He would analyse everything so he knows which defender is getting tired. That’s why we called him the Babyfaced Assassin. He helped United win the Champions League [as a player in 1999] that way."

Barcelona have announced that newly-signed midfielder Miralem Pjanic has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Bosnian recently officially joined Barcelona, with the club announcing in June that Pjanic would be coming to Spain from Juventus on a deal that could rise to be worth €65 million (£59m/$73m).

Midfielder Arthur, meanwhile, went the other way in what was deemed a second deal worth €72m (£66m/$81m) plus up to €10m in bonuses.

Following the conclusion of Juventus and Barcelona's Champions League campaigns, the two were now free to join their new clubs, but Pjanic will not yet travel to Barcelona after testing positive for Covid-19.

"Miralem Pjanic tested positive for PCR on Saturday, August 22 after suffering some discomfort. The player is in good health and is isolated at home," Barca said in a statement.
 
"For this reason, the player will not travel to Barcelona until 15 days later to join Barca."

Pjanic heads to Juventus following a fairly successful final campaign with Juventus, as the club won Serie A yet again for their ninth consecutive domestic triumph.

The 30-year-old was a part of four of those Serie A title successes, making a total of 178 appearances for Juve after joining from Roma in 2016. 

In addition to the four Serie A crowns, Pjanic also won the Coppa Italia twice and a Supercoppa Italia while being named in the Serie A Team of the Year on four separate occasions.

However, while the club enjoyed another season of domestic success, Juve once again fell short in the Champions League this campaign, having suffered a shock elimination in the round of 16 at the hands of Lyon.

Pjanic's new club, meanwhile, is in a state of upheaval following an 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Head coach Quique Setien and director of football Eric Abidal have already been dismissed, with the former being replaced by former Netherlands coach and ex-Barca defender Ronald Koeman.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu, who has come under fire for the club's failures and is up for re-election in March next year, has also said that several key players will be up for sale during the transfer window as the club looks to bounce back from yet another Champions League collapse.

Dan Birikwalira has hit out at the Ugandan Premier League champions Vipers SC following his exit after five seasons at the club.

Birikwalira is among the players released by the Venoms, who are preparing to feature in the Caf Champions League, in the ongoing transfer window.

“There is nothing I am going to miss about Vipers for sure, I cannot tell you this or that reason but I will not miss Vipers,” the left-back told Sports Nation. “The decision to leave is not hard to take only that it wasn’t sporting or poor performance no, we play football and we know it.

“We don’t leave Vipers because of football issues no, I won’t lie, I don’t want my fans to say that my performance wasn’t good no.

“I left because of other issues from the greedy staff.”

The St Mary’s Secondary School, the feeder team for Vipers, graduate also claimed the team would be better if only the dishonest people around the club’s president Lawrence Mulindwa did not exist.

“Organisation is the main challenge at Vipers,” an agitated Birikwalira continued. “That’s why every year or whenever they win a trophy it’s like they are trying to rebuild a new team, they sign every type of player, they are ill.

“The big problem is that there are dishonest people who pretend to be loyal at the club," he added. "The irony is that the players who have done good things for Vipers are the ones who are always released with bad motives.

“I have done so many good things for Vipers ever since I was at school, winning trophies but the way we leave is always harsh because even the club cannot appreciate us, I won’t regret saying it and I won’t lie. We don’t admire to come back as it is elsewhere with former players at a club, that’s the truth.”

The full-back has picked out a few players he claims left the four-time champions feeling unappreciated.

“Just look at Suleiman Mutyaba, he was at KCCA FC for just two years but said he has never seen an organised club like KCCA," added Birikwalira. "Yet he had spent many years at Vipers/Bunamwaya.

“Look at Sulaiman Mutyaba, Saddam Juma etc they were not appreciated, but just terminated their contracts. Even the departure of Nicholas Wadada had some untold stories.

“Few coming players will never reach the milestones we achieved with Vipers. I have won almost everything during my five-year stay here.”

He joined Vipers’ senior team in 2014 with Farouk Miya and went ahead to win five titles with the Venoms.

Birikwalira won two league titles, one Uganda Cup and a Super Cup during his five seasons at Kitende. His contract was terminated after he had renewed it for two more years last year.

Former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra has revealed how angry he was about the manner in which his exit from the club to Juventus was handled.

The ex-France international turned out for the Old Trafford club between 2006 and 2014, playing 379 matches for them over the course of his stay.

He has explained how he felt his loyalty to the side was ignored by chief executive Ed Woodward, who did his best to block the defender from moving to Serie A by triggering an automatic one-year extension in his contract after the player had indicated his desire to move to Turin on a Bosman deal.

“I felt betrayed by Ed,” Evra said in an interview with The Guardian. “I called Juventus to tell them I am coming. Ed then said: ‘We offer you a two-year contract, more money, the captaincy, a testimonial.’ Too late [for Evra to keep his word with Juventus].”

He ultimately left for Juve less than a couple of months after his extension was made official, and he was rewarded for his persistence as the Bianconeri reached the Champions League final, in which they suffered defeat to Barcelona.

United, meanwhile, continued to suffer after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, with Dutchman Louis van Gaal only able to steer them to fifth in the top-flight standings.

Despite his acrimonious exit, which came about largely because ex-wife Sandra wanted to leave the Manchester area, he bore no lasting ill will towards the club.

“My ex-wife said: ‘See? Manchester are nearly in the Championship and you’re in this final.’ I love Juventus but I said: ‘Even if they’re in the Championship, I prefer to be at United. Nothing can replace my love for them,’” he explained.

Evra spent three seasons with Juventus, winning the Serie A title in each campaign he was there, and then departed to Marseille in January 2017.

He left the Stade Velodrome under a cloud the following season after assaulting a fan prior to a Europa League match and finally wound his career down in the Premier League at West Ham, where he featured on five occasions before retiring.

Thiago Silva became the first Brazilian to wear the captain's armband in a Champions League final in his last-ever match for Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday. 

The centre-back, 35, led his team-mates out at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz in the club's maiden appearance in the fixture, as they seek to overcome Bayern Munich. 

PSG have fought past Atalanta and RB Leipzig in August to make the clash, while Bayern eased past Chelsea in the second leg of their last-16 tie at the Allianz Arena before going on to record heavy victories over both Barcelona and Lyon in the days leading up to the final in Portugal. 

And Silva, who will leave PSG after Sunday's decider, makes history in holding his side's captaincy, achieving a feat none of his illustrious compatriots have ever managed in captaining one of the two participants in a European Cup or Champions League final. 

He is one of three Brazilians to make Thomas Tuchel's first XI, with Marquinhos retaining his place in the centre of midfield ahead of Marco Verratti and Neymar joining Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria in the French side's attack. 

After eight seasons and more than 300 appearances for PSG, it is also a fitting way for the defender to say farewell to his long-time employers and their fans. 

Silva, unlike fellow club favourite Edinson Cavani, accepted a short-term extension to his contract, which expired in June, in order to complete this re-arranged Champions League campaign. 

His next destination is yet to be confirmed, with both Chelsea and Fiorentina linked with the defender's services once he officially leaves Parc des Princes in the coming days. 

"It is not easy to spend eight years in Paris," the player, who moved to PSG from Milan in the summer of 2012 explained to  AFP  at the start of August. 

"If I have managed that it is because I have been useful to the team. I am very happy with all that I have achieved here, with the respect the fans have given me. It is magnificent. 

"I hope to end this adventure by winning the Champions League, that is our dream."

Cape Town City coach Jan Olde Riekerink has described Kermit Erasmus as 'a genius' after his winner against Orlando Pirates on Sunday, but says their 1-0 Premier Soccer League victory over the Buccaneers was a collective effort as they overcame some numerical disadvantage to collect maximum points.

City played for almost an hour of the match with 10 men following a red card to Mpho Makola in the 33rd minute.

Erasmus then scored on the stroke of half time to condemn his former club Pirates to a six-match winless league run of two defeats and four draws.

While the result puts Pirates’ chances of a top-three finish in serious jeopardy, it lifted the once relegation-threatened City into seventh.

Rienkerink lauded his charges for a valiant display especially wading off Pirates’ relentless pressure towards the end of the match, with City’s other stars of the show being goalkeeper Peter Leewenburgh and defender Tariq Fielies, who was crowned Man of the Match.

“There are two ways to look at this game. I think it was, for us, too bad that we played with 10 players,” Riekerink told the media. “We struggled a little bit in the beginning but then we slowly found spaces and we started playing football and I think we were then ready to play the [kind of] football we wanted to play, and the moment we started to do that I think we managed to play well with 10 men.

“From that moment you know you have to realise as a group that individuals cannot win the game only, groups can win games," he added. "They [players and staff] had to believe that we get out of this [five months without football] in just making a team and not individuals and that’s what you saw today.

"The team won this game by fighting more with a strong mind than the body and that’s almost the mirror of what we saw today. We had almost the biggest opportunities with Craig [Martin] and Kermit.”

After scoring the goal that defined their afternoon, Erasmus is now on 12 league goals this season, two below joint lead-scorers; Orlando Pirates’ Frank Mhango and Peter Shalulile of Highlands Park.

Erasmus' tally is the best he has managed in his professional career in a season.

“He has those exceptional qualities,” said Riekerink. “You know what’s important if you play the ball from the left side [where] we know that Surprise [Ralani] can play in between the lines so we know that we have to play the ball into his [Erasmus] feet and then he can make his action.

“He is a genius. If he plays, for example, on the right side Fagrie [Lakay] is there, we have to try and play the ball behind the defence and that happens with Kermit. The team showed him a lot of moments every time in the game that we didn’t play the ball to him.

"He is also now focusing only on his position as a striker and the space behind the defence of the opponents and not anymore too much in the midfield. He is very dangerous for us and he had the feeling to score the goalusesI think the team use him more on his exceptional qualities.”

Erasmus has scored three goals since the restart of the season, helping City to three wins, including beating title-contenders Mamelodi Sundowns.

Jose Mourinho, one of the top managers in the world, has given an invaluable lesson on how British football differs from other countries to American coach Ted Lasso.

Lasso is the newly-appointed manager of AFC Richmond  having previously only coached American football at college level in the United States.

The U.S. coach's appointment came as a shock to many, but Lasso is eager to learn from some of the best minds in football and contacted Tottenham boss Mourinho at half-time during the Champions League final to find out the secrets of his success.

"I just sat down to watch this Cup of Champions finale and I realised I don’t know jack squat about this game," Lasso admitted from his new digs in London.

After listing out his trophy cabinet of "eight league titles, two Champions Leagues, Europa League, UEFA Cup, four League Cups in England, FA Cup, Coppa Italia, Super Cup, Copa del Rey," Mourinho attempted to explain the intricacies of football in the major leagues across Europe where he has coached.

The former Inter, Chelsea and Real Madrid manager highlighted how the Premier League looks to strength and speed while La Liga is focused more on skill and style, although Lasso may have been asking how the European game of football differed from the oval-balled game they call 'football' back in his home country.

"There are similarities and there are differences," Mourinho attempted to explain to a visibily confused Lasso during a call between the two Premier League managers.

"British football is all about pace and power.

"Italy is defense-focused. They are the masters of the catenaccio system. Whereas in Spain, they favour tiki-taka."

Unfamiliar with the term, Lasso then told Mourinho he had eaten "chicken tik-itaka" on his flight from the U.S. to England before enquiring about the half-time entertainment during the Champions League final.

However, rather than explain that the Champions League is not like the Super Bowl shows Lasso is used to in his native country, two-time winner Mourinho went back to watching the second half of Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich.

Watch Ted Lasso exclusively on on Apple TV+

Barcelona need a coach like Jurgen Klopp, according to Blaugrana presidential candidate Jordi Farre, who says he has held talks with Liverpool's manager's representatives over the role.

Major changes are afoot at Camp Nou in the wake of a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on August 14.

It has been suggested that Barca need a restructuring from top to bottom, with head coach Quique Setien and technical director Eric Abidal the first to move on amid a major overhaul in both the dressing room and board room.

Setien was sacked three days after the loss against Bayern, before Abidal resigned from his post a day later, with club legend Ronald Koman passed the managerial reins after stepping down from his position in charge of the Netherlands national team.

Barca's current president Josep Bartomeu has received much of the blame for the current crisis at Camp Nou, but his tenure will come to an end in the spring of 2021.

A new president will be elected towards the end of next season, and Farre is currently on the list of candidates to replace Bartomeu alongside Victor Font and Lluis Fernandez Ala.

The 44-year-old, who also ran for the presidency in 2015, has already prepared a plan of action for if he is elected next year, with a certain German head coach in charge at Anfield his first choice when it comes to who should be leading the team from the dugout.

Farre says is happy to retain Koeman's services if he proves himself over the next few months, but has also revealed that he has been in contact with Klopp's entourage in recent weeks.

The Spaniard told Diario Sport: "If Koeman works and does well, he would be, of course. Obviously, we have our roadmap and we had already started several conversations with Jurgen Klopp, because it seems to us that Barca need such a coach."

Pressed on whether Koeman is the right appointment for Barca at present, Farre responded: "It is an exceptional moment and Koeman is a good solution considering that he is a legend of Barcelona, ​​a benchmark. Because of his character, I think that was what the club needed now. I wish him the best because the challenge is huge."

He went on to express his belief that the club has been mismanaged at an executive level, while insisting that certain players have been kept on at Camp Nou despite being well past their sell-by dates.

"A lot, because things have been done very badly," Farre added. "Nobody has been able to see that a generational change in the squad was needed. 

"On the contrary, players have been renewed without a logical sporting criteria. What should have been done little by little must now be done suddenly and in a more traumatic way."

The fiancee of utility man Oleksandr Zinchenko has branded Manchester City's unceremonious exit from the Champions League at the hands of underdogs Lyon as “completely Pep Guardiola's fault”.

The Catalan coach saw his side ousted from Europe in shock circumstances, the favourites losing 3-1 to the lesser-fancied French outfit, who were themselves eventually dumped out of the competition by finalists Bayern Munich.

Guardiola generally deploys his teams in either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system, but opted to switch to three at the back for their crunch clash with OL.

Zinchenko's other half, presenter Vlada Sedan, believes that deviating from the norm is what ultimately cost City in their quest for elusive European silverware.

“You saw what happened,” Sedan said on her official YouTube channel. “I'm not a football player, not a coach, not a critic or an analyst. I understand that my opinion is not authoritative.

“Perhaps I have no right to say this, and perhaps Zinchenko will forbid me. But to put it mildly, in order not to swear, this is completely Guardiola's fault.

“At such a crucial moment, using such an experimental tactic for City was a bummer. I have no right to criticise, but why play three central defenders? I simply have no words because to have such a line-up... look at the players City have, what a bench. Literally on a few clubs in the world can boast having such players at substitutes.”

She added: “I understand why the team that everyone is betting on is Bayern. It's one thing to be knocked out by Bayern, but it's another to get knocked out by Lyon. I don't want to cause offence to the team, but I want to remind you that this is the side that finished in seventh place in the French championship.”

Whether Sedan's comments will result in her fiancee being reprimanded remains to be seen, but with Benjamin Mendy struggling to stay fit, Zinchenko operating as a makeshift left-back and Barcelona registering their interest in Angelino, Guardiola may have a fresh headache on his hands.

City have, however, already made two signings ahead of the 2020-21 season, with centre-back Nathan Ake joining from relegated Bournemouth and Ferran Torres swapping Valencia for the Etihad Stadium.

Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech can be leaders for Chelsea, according to Ashley Cole, who believes the two new signings will bring more than just star quality to the squad.

Chelsea reached an agreement to sign Ziyech from Ajax for £36 million (€40m/$47m) in February, and he joined up with his new team-mates earlier this summer after seeing out the 2019-20 campaign at Johan Cruyff ArenA.

The Blues splashed the cash to land another of Europe's most in-demand talents in June, as Timo Werner completed a £47.5 million (€53m/$62m) move to Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig.

Both men are expected to slot straight into Frank Lampard's line up when their new season kicks off away at Brighton on September 14, with Chelsea aiming to improve on a fourth-place Premier League finish last term.

Ziyech inspired Ajax to multiple domestic trophies while also making his mark in the Champions League, while Werner's goals helped Leipzig compete for the Bundesliga title and a place at Europe's top table.

Cole expects two new arrivals to have a similar impact in the Premier League, but has also backed them to show off their leadership qualities as Chelsea look to fight for major honours once again in 2020-21.

"Although the new players that have come in are young, they've got experience of playing Champions League, they were stars of their team," the former Blues defender told ESPN of Werner and Ziyech. "They can give that leadership off the pitch and on it as well because we had a lot of leaders when I was a player here.

"They led by example not just by talking, but with their feet, which I feel is more important. People can talk. It is easy to talk, but when you are backing it up with quality performances, that's what makes the difference."

Cole went on to discuss how a FIFA-imposed transfer ban ended up having a positive effect on the Chelsea squad when Lampard was drafted in to replace Maurizio Sarri in the managerial hot seat last summer.

The likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James were all promoted into senior roles, and a club legend was delighted to see the club's younger players given an early leg up in terms of their overall career development.

"Since Frank has been here, and with the transfer ban, it has given the kids a little bit of a push and ignited a few of them. Now, they start to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Cole added.

"Who knows what would have happened if Chelsea hadn't had a ban? But there's a lot of pressure being a manager of Chelsea. The owner [Roman Abramovich] wants to win. He felt that winning feeling and he wants to do it again, so any manager who goes in is under pressure.

"So the transfer ban helped the young kids. For that six months, a lot of them progressed. It was difficult for young kids when I was a player."

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has stated his belief that the current one-legged knock-out format of the Champions League's quarterfinals and semi-finals should be considered as a full-time fixture in the competition as it is, in his opinion, “more interesting”.

The one-off format, put together in order to finish up the season in a timely manner following the coronavirus-enforced suspension of sport around the world, has produced several upsets already, most notably Manchester City and Atletico Madrid being dumped out by Lyon and RB Leipzig respectively.

Eight teams headed for Lisbon in August to play out the remaining fixtures on neutral ground in order to avoid squabbles over home and away advantages, and Ceferin believes having only one game to make it through makes for more exciting matches.

“We were forced to do it but in the end we see that we found out something new. So we will think about it in the future for sure,” Ceferin told Reuters in an interview. “[There has been] not so much tactics. If it is one match, if one team scores then the other has to score as soon as possible. If it is two-legged system then there is still time to win the next match.

“I have to say that this system of one match seems more interesting to me than the other system with two-legged matches, but again it's much too early to say anything about it, let's see. 

“Because the Champions League was interesting before – it's interesting now [too], it's quite a nice experience if you have to think about changing something that works well anyway. So, it's not the pressure that something doesn't work and we have to change it, we don't have to change anything, but we've got some new ideas now.”

Ceferin did, however, warn that teams could lose out of broadcast revenue if there would be fewer games to televise.

“More exciting matches for sure but of course we also have to think about the fact that we have less matches and broadcasters (can) say ‘you don’t have as many matches as before, this is different’ so we will have to discuss when this crazy situation ends,” he added.

Orlando Pirates' struggles continued as they lost 1-0 to 10-men Cape Town City in the Premier Soccer League on Sunday afternoon at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, with Kermit Erasmus scoring the only goal of the game.

The former Pirates hitman broke the deadlock in the 47th minute to hand the Mother City outfit a 1-0 lead at half -time, and the Soweto giants failed to equalise despite having a man advantage following the sending off of Mpho Makola during the first half.

After a bright start in the capital, City grabbed the winner in first-half stoppage time through Erasmus, and the former MTN8 champions now occupy seventh with 36 points, whilst the former African champions are fifth on 43.

Pirates started the encounter without out-of-sorts Gabadinho Mhango and midfielder Fortune Makaringe, who gave way for the likes of Nkanyiso Zungu, Thembinkosi Lorch and James Monyane.

The 2018/19 PSL runners-up were looking to bag their first victory since the current season was restarted due to the coronavirus pandemic, having drawn their previous games against Mamelodi Sundowns, Bidvest Wits and to Baroka.

Citizens came into this one fresh from a 1-0 loss against Stellenbosch but had secured two wins over Mamelodi Sundowns and Chippa United prior to the defeat by Stellies.

Coming to the tightly contested encounter, the Buccaneers had an upper hand in the opening stages of the clash when Vincent Pule took matters into his own hands to provide for striker Tshegofatso Mabasa, but the target man failed to hit the back of the net as his effort went wide in the 10th minute.

Five minutes later, goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands had to come off his line to punch away an outswinger, and Zungu blocked Erasmus's resulting effort before Happy Jele cleared the ball.

In the 32nd minute, former Pirates midfielder Makola was shown his marching orders after a number of dangerous tackles on Monyane and Lorch, reducing the Citizens to 10 men.

Three minutes before the interval, skipper Jele saw his header go agonizingly wide following a brilliant corner from Pule’s left foot.

The referee added four minutes and that gave coach Jan Olde Riekerink’s men the opportunity to break the deadlock, as Erasmus got onto the end of the cross to beat Sandilands from close range at the far post.

Coach Josef Zinnbauer made changes in his line-up as he introduced Luvuyo Memela for Mabasa, while injured Pule was sacrificed for Mhango.

Towards the final 10 minutes of the match, Riekerink rested Erasmus and brought on Fagrie Lakay to speed up their attack as they looked to consolidate their lead.

On the opposite side of the field, substitute Kabelo Dlamini played in Memela who took a shot on the run, although his effort was blocked by Peter Leeuwenburgh in the 84th minute.

In the end, City managed to protect their lead and walked away with the full three points, leaving Pirates winless out of four PSL matches.

It is difficult to imagine Lionel Messi playing for a club other than Barcelona, but rumours that the Argentine's time in Catalunya is approaching an end have intensified over the summer.

The speculation has been fuelled by the fact that Barca have endured a truly dismal season, one which saw the club miss out on La Liga glory before being dumped ignominiously out of the Champions League.

Off-field issues related to club politics haven't helped matters either, with Messi being uncharacteristically vocal about pronouncements that have been made by some sporting directors.

With his contract set to expire in 2021 and no guarantee that fresh terms will be signed, it is possible that Barcelona could look to cash in on a player universally deemed one of the best to have played the game.

So how much would it cost to buy Messi? Goal takes a look at the forward's contract clause. 

What is Lionel Messi's release clause?

Lionel Messi's contract buyout clause (or release clause) is €700 million (£630m/$825m). The hefty clause was put in place when Messi signed a new four-year contract with Barcelona in 2017. That deal expires in 2021.

Prior to that, Messi's buyout clause was €300 million (£270m/$355m), and the increased figure was arrived at after Paris Saint-Germain forked out €222 million (£198m/$262m) to trigger Neymar's release.

"Lionel was always very happy at Barca and we want him to retire here, as he wishes," Barcelona director Guillermo Amor explained when Messi penned a new deal in 2017. "We are talking about the clause and with Neymar's experience we must protect ourselves."

If a club wished to buy the six-time Ballon d'Or winner and they could afford it, they could make a bid of €700m, which Barcelona would have no choice but to accept.

Such a transfer fee would shatter the world record set when PSG bought Neymar, though it is highly unlikely to ever transpire, particularly with Messi being subject to the same effects of time as everyone else.

Considering the state of play with Messi's contract expiring within a year, if the Argentine really wanted to leave, it is more likely that Barca would be left with little choice but to accept a bid lower than the clause.

Indeed, the tremors of the coronavirus pandemic have yet to be truly felt in the football transfer market, but the expectation is that fees are likely to drop on average.

While most clubs in the world would like to sign Lionel Messi, only a select few would realistically be able to afford him. Even if Messi left Barca on a free, his wages at any new club would require deep pockets.

Manchester City, Inter and PSG are the main clubs touted as potential destinations for Messi.

The fact that Pep Guardiola, who worked with Messi during his time at Camp Nou, is managing City is seen as a major plus for the Premier League side, with one pundit suggesting Messi was like Guardiola's son.

Inter, meanwhile, have consistently indicated their intention to bring the Argentine to San Siro and former Nerazzurri director Massimo Mirabelli has suggested that it is very much a possibility.

“I can assure you that Messi is more than a dream for Inter," Mirabelli told Radio Sportiva. "He now has only a year left on his contract and Barca don’t want to risk losing him for free next summer."

Despite the speculation linking Messi away from the club, however, new Barca boss Ronald Koeman is hopeful of convincing the talisman to remain at Camp Nou.

"It’s up to me to find a way we get the best out of Messi, that he’s happy here and that he feels important," Koeman told NOS. "He’s the captain and he should end his career at Barcelona. Messi is Barcelona and Barcelona is Messi.”  

What is a buyout or release clause?

In football, a buyout clause - sometimes referred to as a release clause - is a clause in a footballer's contract which indicates a transfer asking price that, if met in a bid, must be accepted by a club.

The fee is usually set considerably higher than a player's perceived market value in order to act as a deterrent to potential bidders, but can sometimes be relatively low in order to encourage bidders.

Buyout clauses have been mandatory aspects of footballers' contracts in Spain since 1985.

Kaizer Chiefs will be at Orlando Stadium for their 26th league game of the season against Stellenbosch FC.

Amakhosi could move eight points clear of second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns with a win over the Western Cape-based side. 

With Ernst Middendorp's men under pressure to stretch the gap between them and Sundowns, and Stellenbosch eager to finish inside the Top 8 bracket, this promises to be an exciting encounter. 

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

The game will be shown live on SuperSport 4. 

Squads & Team News

Amakhosi have not reported any injuries ahead of this encounter but a few of their players must avoid getting booked against Stellenbosch in order not to incur a suspension.

All eyes will be on Samir Nurkovic to see if he can equal the tally set by PSL top scorers Gabadinho Mhango and Peter Shalulile - the two strikers are on 14 goals each. 

Nurkovic has scored 13 goals this season, including the two goals he has netted since the return of football earlier this month. 

Leonardo Castro is another dangerman for Amakhosi although he hasn't really found his groove thus far.

It will be interesting to see if Middendorp will start with Khama Billiat after his unimpressive performances this season. 

A section of Amakhosi fans has called for Billiat to be benched, but with Chiefs fighting for the league title, chances are that the German mentor will continue to use either in his starting line-up or from the bench. 

Middendorp has already warned his charges to not underestimate Stellenbosch because he's expecting an element of surprise from Steve Barker's side. 

Barker has a few players to pin his hopes on, including Waseem Isaacs and Robyn Johannes, who is celebrating his birthday on Sunday.

The duo didn't cope with Amakhosi's attack and defence in the first round and they will want to rectify the mistakes of the past with this encounter. 

The departure of Nkanyisa Zungu to Orlando Pirates has left a void in midfield, but the availability of Marc van Heerden means the coach has enough experience to handle Chiefs. 

Match Preview

The two teams first met in 2019, with Amakhosi hammering Stellenbosch 4-1. 

Amakhosi are top of the log with 52 points from 25 matches, while Stellenbosch are ninth on the standings with 33 points from 26 games. 

They have conceded 30 goals this season while finding the back of the net 23 times. 

Middendorp's men have scored 45 goals and conceded 23 times in 25 league games. 

Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski is a “great player”, according to two-time Champions League winner Deco, but believes that PSG star Neymar is a notch above the striker, stating that the Brazilian is on the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lewandowski will go head to head with Neymar in Sunday's showpiece final in Lisbon, with Bayern looking to secure another European title while the Ligue 1 outfit are chasing their first ever ultimate victory in the competition.

With both sides boasting incredibly strong attacks, the match is touted as a battle of the attackers, with goals expected from both of the continental heavyweights.

Indeed, such is the form of the Polish dangerman that he had been tipped to lift the Ballon d'Or before France Football decided to cancel the award due to the interruption of play caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but could still be on course to clinch FIFA's The Best title.

For Deco, however, who was born in Brazil but chose to represent Portugal at international level, believes that Neymar should be named the greatest player of the season as his style of football ranks him amongst the game's greats.

“If we consider that the Champions League final is decisive [in choosing who is the best], there's no lying,” the 42-year-old exclusively told Goal. “Lewandowski is a great player, a star, perhaps the best striker in the world nowadays.

“But Neymar is different – he's on Messi and Ronaldo's level. Maybe the final will influence who is picked, but I, as part of the audience and a lover of football, would choose Neymar. He's different, he plays beautiful football.”

But while there can be no denying Neymar's obvious talent, there are many who feel that his theatrics and showboating – both on and off the pitch – mean he will never truly win the heart of purists. Deco, though, feels that is all just part of the charm.

“Time gives you experience and maturity to face things in different ways,” he said. “A player like Neymar already flipped that switch a long time ago. He's been doing it for so long, he started at a very young age.

“Of course, there's a time in your career when you're 27, 28 years old that you peak in your maturity; you know when to use your energy, you understand the game better, you know your own body.

“But I don't think he'll ever lose his boyish ways – that's part of his game. We can't just ask Neymar to be something he's not. He plays with joy on the pitch, he'll dribble and take on opponents. That's how he won over the world: he has fun and we have fun too.

“There's no changing that, and that's what makes him one of the greatest.”

Coach Hansi Flick “deserves great respect” ahead of Bayern Munich's Champions League final with Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon on Sunday, according to Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr.

The Bavarians have been the talk of the town thanks to their top class performances in Europe’s premier competition, notably, an 8-2 mauling of Barcelona in the quarter-final.

They are the only side to remain unbeaten in the competition, winning all their matches since the group phase, and are also the side with most goals in the tournament this term (42), 24 of those coming from Robert Lewandowski (15) and Serge Gnabry (nine).

All these make the German giants the favourites ahead of Sunday’s final, and Rohr believes credit must go to Flick, who was previously assistant to current AS Monaco boss Niko Kovac before the latter was sacked in November 2019.

“What Hansi Flick has achieved in the past few months is huge," Rohr, who played for Bayern between 1972 and 1974, told Abendzeitung. "He transformed the team, almost from one day to the next,

“That deserves great respect. Some players like Thomas Muller are in great shape again. A credit to Flick.

"The offensive is strong with Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry, both are fantastic in front of goal, and there are also some French [players] at Bayern, which I find very likeable.”

Bayern have been the leading German team in Europe, with five titles to their name, the last coming in 2013 when they defeated local rivals Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. They also won a record 30th Bundesliga and eighth in a row and the German Cup as well.

Rohr is of the opinion other German clubs like RB Leipzig - who reached the semi-final for the first time before losing to PSG - are catching up with Bayern’s prowess, and the manager has also highlighted the improvements made by French teams in Europe's premier club competition.

“Bavaria has always been at the forefront of Europe, and RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund can keep up there too," he continued. "With [Bayer] Leverkusen and [Borussia] Gladbach, other teams are not far away.

“France have now made positive headlines with PSG and Lyon. That was important because after the season ended in March there was a great disappointment. Since then, both clubs have focused fully on the Champions League.”

Rohr also offered some advice on how Bayern can stop the offensive threat of PSG which is contained in Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria.

“These are big names on the offensive," Rohr concluded. "Neymar and Mbappe have to be disturbed while controlling the ball so that they cannot turn.

“You always have to be close to them, ideally with several players. Overall, it would be good for Bayern not to be as high in defence as they were last time, but Flick must have recognised that too.”

Nerijus Valskis,  the Indian Super League (ISL) Golden Boot Award last season, is excited to reunited with former Chennaiyin coach Owen Coyle at his new club Jamshedpur.

The Lithuanian was an instant hit in his debut ISL season and had created quite a buzz in Chennai. The 33-year-old forward will now hope to deliver in front of goal again, this time in different colours. 

The striker is thrilled to work with Coyle again and explained how he admires Coyle’s attacking and hard-pressing style of football during a conversation on Instagram on Sunday. 

“Owen Coyle was the most important factor behind my move to Jamshedpur. I would like to work with him and Sandy Stewart (assistant coach) again. Both the coaches bring high intensity in the training and focuses on finishing. After Coyle joined Chennaiyin, the team had much more intensity, we pressed harder and there was much more power," Valskis said. 

"I am very happy to work with him again and coming back to India. I spoke to the coach over phone and he told me to come back to India and work with him again."

Valskis is excited to start a new journey with the Men of Steel and is hopeful of ending the club’s play-off voodoo. Jamshedpur are one of the few clubs yet to achieve a top-four finish in the ISL. 

“I am really excited to continue my journey and I am very happy to join Jamshedpur. Everybody has been asking me that (because) Jamshedpur have never been to top four if that is pressure on me but I want that pressure. I hope together, with the team, we can qualify for the top four. It is possible. We need to believe and work hard and play as a team,” said the new recruit.

The Lithuanian international was also all praise for young defender Narender Gahlot who made his debut at Jamshedpur last season.

“I think Narender (Gahlot) is a very young and talented player. I liked playing against him and even though he is very young, he plays very maturely. I can’t wait to play with my new teammates like Jackichand Singh. I believe it will be a great season,” said the experienced striker.