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Eric Abidal insisted that he tried his hardest to make Barcelona a better-run football club but fell short in an open letter released following his resignation as technical director on Tuesday. 

Abidal, who as a player at Camp Nou became a firm favourite, rejoined the Catalans in 2018 as the successor to Robert Fernandez in the role. 

But his tenure coincided with a run of mixed results for the Blaugrana and severe criticisms of the club's transfer policy, while Abidal was also questioned for a public exchange with captain Lionel Messi earlier in 2020 after appearing to criticise the team's work-rate following the departure of Ernesto Valverde. 

Quique Setien became Barca's second coaching casualty in less than eight months when he was sacked in the wake of Friday's 8-2 Champions League humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich, and despite early assurances that he would stay on in the boardroom, Abidal followed the ex-trainer by stepping down on Tuesday barely 24 hours later. 

Ramon Planes, who had previously acted as Abidal's assistant in deciding on footballing matters, was subsequently promoted to the technical director position, while Barcelona also moved quickly to confirm ex-player Ronald Koeman as Setien's successor. 

The Frenchman finally broke his silence on Thursday, making his first public statement via Instagram as he affirmed that the decision to part company with the club was his own. 

“Over the last two years, I tried to make changes that I thought were very important for the first team," Abidal explained. 

"But, despite my conviction and persistence, I failed. This second goodbye brings to a close two years where I tried to work to make Barcelona better.

"Two intense seasons which I decided to bring to an end on my own accord.

"Whilst the board gave me a vote of confidence on Monday, I provided my resignation on Tuesday, waiving the rights to the final year of my contract with Barcelona.

"The moment has come to draw a line under the link between me and the club.

"Right now the club's situation is complicated, but be in no doubt that I hope with all my heart that it will recover and that success soon returns just as this great club deserves."

Misfiring Mamelodi Sundowns find themselves under pressure to defend their Premier Soccer League (PSL) title but legend Roger Feutmba is confident the Tshwane giants will bounce back.

Coach Pitso Mosimane’s troops face Maritzburg United in the league on Friday evening as they look to narrow the gap by three points following a loss for the log leaders, Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday night to Bloemfontein Celtic.

‘The General’ also refuses to point fingers at the players or to the former Bafana Bafana manager, saying the team was bound to struggle after coming from a long lay-off due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Yeah, I want to believe that Sundowns will come with a positive result against Maritzburg United, I think they know they have to do well,” Feutmba told Goal.

“We can say they are struggling since the restart of the league but they have the character to bounce back and collect maximum points. I think their struggles are based on the fact that they have stayed for too long without playing regular and competitive football.

“If they want to remain in contention to win the league and defend their trophy, they have to win on Friday."

Since their return to action, Masandawana clinched a win over Bidvest Wits in the Nedbank Cup but drew against Orlando Pirates, Highlands Park as well as losing to Cape Town City.

“I can’t say there is something wrong going on in their camp or single out certain players but you must know staying for five months without competitive football is not easy for any player," he added.

“This is not only affecting Sundowns but all the other teams in the PSL, it’s very difficult to pick up from where they left off and I just hope that tomorrow they will do the right things, have the right application and ensure they win the match.

“They have played three league games so far, they drew all of them and managed to bag one win in the cup, it’s not good for a team such as Sundowns but they have the character and they will bounce back.

“I believe they know what is at stake and they have a great opportunity to close the gap on Kaizer Chiefs, it’s not over as yet until it’s over. They have to keep fighting for the league title.

“A loss to Maritzburg United will make things very difficult to catch up with the log leaders and that is why I say they have to fight to get a win at all costs.”

In the wake of the 3-1 defeat to coach Ernst Middendorp’s men to Phunya Sele Sele on Wednesday night, the retired midfielder is confident the Tshwane giants will bounce back and close the gap, saying anything is still possible.

“As I said, Chiefs lost to Celtic and the table is still open in my opinion. Anything is still possible in the league,” continued Feutmba.

"Even though Chiefs are still on top, I’m sure they also don’t want to drop the points and the loss to Celtic means it’s good for Sundowns to fight and close the gap.

“Yes, Chiefs have lost and they are still on top. So, the gap is not really wide compared to when it would have been had Chiefs beat Celtic. All I’m saying is that a six-point gap is not bad and Sundowns only need a win and revive their spirits.

“It’s not going to be easy against Maritzburg United but it’s possible if they still believe in themselves.”  

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Kelvin Mushangazhike has revealed he and Tinashe Nengomasha were signed by Amakhosi to sell Jabu Mahlangu and Patrick Mbuthu who had allegedly fallen out at the club.

Mushangazhike and Nengomasha were spotted by Chiefs while playing for Zimbabwe at an Under-23 invitational tournament where they attracted interest from a number of Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs who jostled for their signatures.

After proposed moves to Germany and Netherlands fell through, Mushangazhike says he snubbed Jomo Cosmos whose owner Jomo Sono came close to convincing him to sign a contract.

He claims Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung elbowed Sono out by visiting the Zimbabwe Under-23 hotel with a suitcase full of money as well as a more lucrative deal than the one tabled by Cosmos.

Just after putting pen to paper, Mushangazhike says Motaung and Chiefs chairman Kaizer informed him and Nengomasha that they were coming to the club to drive away Mahlangu and Mbuthu whose tendencies of going AWOL frustrated the club.

“We were told by Bobby Motaung and his father Kaizer Motaung that ‘You know what guys? We have signed you because of two guys who are giving us problems.’ These guys were Jabu Pule [now Mahlangu] and Patrick Mbuthu,” Mushangazhike told Zim Soccernet in conversation with former Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Alois Bunjira.

“We did not know what exactly these guys were doing but what I later heard was that they used to go AWOL and miss some games. Chiefs wanted a strong challenge for these guys.

“They said I must take Jabu Pule out of the team and then Tinashe Nengomasha must take Patrick Mbuthu out of the team. We worked hard and thanked God we had good company off the field.

“At first we were a bit jittery. But we fought for our places in the team and Tinashe was the first one to be given the chance to play. My first chance came after about three games. My first game was against Sundowns at Ellis Park.

“I was told ‘Just go and do what you can do. You know your story, we want this guy [Jabu] to get out of the team.'”

Chiefs' coach was then Muhsin Ertugral who handed Mushangazhike his Chiefs debut.

“I got in as a substitute with 17 minutes to go. But the person I was assigned to move out of the team was not an easy individual. I played with all my life, I ran and ran and ran,” said Mushangazhike.

“I was assigned to take the corner kicks from the right side while Jabu Pule would take care of the corner kicks on the left side. There happened to be a corner kick on the right side and as I went to take it, I passed through Jabu and he told me ‘let’s put more gear.’

"It was like this guy has played for almost 90 minutes but he still has a lot of energy while I have been on the pitch for just 10 minutes but I am already feeling exhausted. I no longer had such energy in me.”

However, Mushangazhike could not replace Mahlangu in the team.

Mahlangu eventually left Chiefs in 2004 to join Austrian side SV Mattersburg before returning home eight months later to join SuperSport United and then Orlando Pirates.

Janine Van Wyk is looking forward to realising her ambition with Glasgow City as they face Wolfsburg in Thursday's Uefa Women's Champions League quarter-final clash in Spain.

Banyana Banyana captain completed her return to Europe after joining the Scottish champions on July 14 and united with her teammates two weeks later in the build-up to their European campaign.

Van Wyk missed fulfilling her dreams with Danish side Fortuna Hjorring, who were bounced out by Lyon, due to injury but is now hours away from achieving her Champions League ambitions with Glasgow.

After arriving in San Sebastian with her Scottish side on Wednesday, South Africa's record cap holder with 170 appearances, told The Guardian: “I’m super excited to compete in the Champions League. 

“It was always something I wanted to achieve, so I’m super stoked about it.

"I’ve played in the World Cup, I’ve played in the Olympic Games, in the Africa Cup of Nations for women and now another major tournament in the Champions League. 

"It’s a real accomplishment for me just to play in this game.”

After parting ways with Fortuna in January, the former Houston Dash defender did not abandon her quest to make a return to Europe while recovering from her injury during the lockdown.

And the 33-year-old, who led her country to a debut Women's World Cup finals last year, has opened up on how she earned her move to the Scottish outfit.
 
“I wanted to stay in South Africa and play with my team in the National League,” she continued. 

“With this pandemic that happened, the situation in South Africa is quite disastrous. We don’t know what’s going to happen to women’s football, when sport will return to our country, and I had to make a decision to try to find a club overseas for me to play. 

"I’m 33-years-old and I’m not getting any younger and I can’t just be sitting around waiting for something to happen. And during that time I was just scrolling through my social media pages, following all the women’s teams and leagues.

"And I happened to follow Glasgow City and Laura [Montgomery, the club manager] sent me a direct message straight away asking if I was interested in coming over to Glasgow. 

"I was looking for a team to play for abroad and they were looking for an experienced defender and the pieces of the puzzle just came together.”

Having claimed a 2-0 first-leg win in Denmark, Glasgow lost by the same scoreline at home to Brondby but squeezed past Danish giants 3-1 from the spot to reach the quarter-final of the competition.

Going up against the German champions, the South Africa international feels her Scottish club are the underdogs but is not ruling out their chances of staging an upset in their last-eight showdown.

“We know that we’re the underdogs in the last eight and the teams we’re going to be facing are giants in European football, so they would come out and probably underestimate us and the quality we bring," she enthused.

“We’re working extremely hard in training to get the best out of each other, to get as fit as possible, to be able to maintain the level that Wolfsburg will bring. 

"But we’re putting no pressure on ourselves, we’re going to learn as much as we can from this game and the pressure will basically be on Wolfsburg to try and break us down. 

"It’s a one-off game in a neutral venue, anything can happen, football is unpredictable.”

Former Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic has expressed his views on the absence of Zambian striker Justin Shonga, suggesting he is not fairly treated by the Buccaneers.

Together, with Thembinkosi Lorch, the Chipolopolo international was suspended last week for breaking the club's rules regarding the country's lockdown and the duo was excluded from the Biologically Safe Environment (BSE), but the Soweto giants have since allowed the Bafana Bafana striker back to the team while Shonga is left out in the cold.

Moreover, ‘Micho’ explains Shonga and Augustine Mulenga were pillars of his team in his tenure, saying things fell apart for the duo after his departure suggesting that there is an injustice aimed towards the two foreigners.

“During my two years at Orlando Pirates, Shonga and [Augustine] Mulenga were pillars of the team as we fought for the league [title],” Sredojevic told Soccer24.

“The moment I left, everything turned upside down, and I can assure that you can blame the players 99%, but there is still 1% of the aspect on how the team is set-up and unbelievable injustice towards [foreign] players like Shonga and Mulenga.”

Just before their Premier Soccer League (PSL) clash against Mamelodi Sundowns last week, coach Josef Zinnbauer’s men released a statement that Lorch and Shonga were suspended for breaking lockdown regulations in the camp.

However, Lorch was available for their previous clash against Baroka on Tuesday and there is no indication of whether the 23-year-old former Nkwazi FC player will return or not.

“Both of the players were suspended, but the club only retained Lorch to a competitive team, Shonga is still out,” added the Zambia boss.

“This is a cruel life of a foreigner in a country. With the highest degree of respect, I want to see South Africa in the best possible way, but it’s hard for professionals as they need to be more better in order to succeed.”

With the Soweto giants yet to register a victory since their return to competitive football, they have played three draws against Masandawana, Bidvest Wits as well as their 1-1 draw against Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele.

Next up is a clash against Cape Town City on Sunday afternoon at Loftus Versfeld Stadium where both outfits will chase the full three points.

The Citizens saw their two-match unbeaten run come to an end and are still licking their wounds from a 1-0 defeat to Stellenbosch on Thursday night.

On the part of the 2018/19 PSL runners-up, Pirates sit fourth on the log table and will be gunning for a win to ensure they secure a spot in Caf continental competitions next season.

Ex-Liverpool star Dejan Lovren has admitted to elbowing Sergio Ramos as revenge for a foul on Mohamed Salah in the 2018 Champions League final.

Jurgen Klopp took his Liverpool side to Kiev for a European showdown against Real Madrid two years ago.

The Merengue lifted the famous trophy for the 13th time after running out 3-1 winners, with a Karim Benzema goal and a Gareth Bale brace cancelling out Sadio Mane's effort for the Reds.

Liverpool were left facing an uphill battle after top scorer Mohamed Salah had to be withdrawn in the first half following a clash with Ramos.

The Madrid captain appeared to haul the Egyptian to the ground as they both tangled for possession, which left the striker nursing a serious shoulder injury.

Later that year, Lovren came face to face with Ramos again as Croatia beat Spain 3-2 in a UEFA Nation's League encounter.

The 31-year-old defender threw an elbow at the Madrid star during the match, for which he received a one-match ban, and took to social media after the final whistle to rub salt in his rival's wounds.

"I elbowed him good. Haha! 3-2! Go ahead and talk now buddy. Buddy!" Lovren said on Instagram.

The former Liverpool centre-half, who moved to Zenit Saint Petersburg earlier this summer, has now confirmed that his actions were intentional, telling Egyptian TV channel Sada El Balad: "I deliberately hit Ramos after hurting Salah? Yes, this is possible.

“Luka Modric tried to reduce the tension between me and Ramos, and we were facing Spain together with the Croatian national team, and I deliberately hit him with my elbows and told him that we have drawn now.

“I respect Ramos as a player and what he does for his team. He has won a lot of titles, but on the other hand, he does some behaviour that I do not like and harm the players.

"I do not want to make a big story, but I think that what Ramos did was intentional to injure my friend, so it was time to pay for what he has done.

"We were playing much better than Real Madrid before Salah was injured in the Champions League final. His exit was a big blow for us, after his exit, they began to dominate the match."

Former Fulham right-back John Paintsil has come out to explain the reason why he held ex-Nigeria international Yakubu Aiyegbeni by his crotch in a Premier League game with Everton.

The incident happened during a corner kick routine in which Paintsil was to mark Yakubu. In a bid to distract the Toffees forward before the ball was played, Paintsil took it upon himself to grab Yakubu’s balls.

The prolific striker was not pleased with it and confronted him. However, the incident was missed by the referee and the game continued without any fuss.

“He was thick and heavier than me and I was supposed to mark him and, in the game, the more you stay long the more you gain experience,” Paintsil told Citisports.

“So, for you not to go one on one contact, you have to distract him, do something to take off his mind from the game

“Besides that, Yakubu is my very good friend.”

Paintsil played for Fulham between 2008 and 2011 while Yakubu was on the books of Everton from 2007 to 2011 scoring 33 goals and providing 12 assists in 107 competitive outings.

Paintsil has had clashes with other Premier League players during his time at Fulham, threatening them verbally on some occasions. This was particular about Peter Crouch who previously admitted Paintsil threatened to break his leg which might have ended his career.

“[Paintsil] said he was going to end my career, he said he’d break my legs,” Crouch – who was playing for Tottenham Hotspur at that time told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“He was playing the right side of centre-half so I conveniently moved to the left side. He didn’t care about formations and tactics, he left a massive hole at one side of the pitch and was following me around. I was thinking ‘Oh my God, he’s going to kill me. He was trying to throw these elbows in.”

Paintsil still talking on Citisports affirmed he did tell Crouch he would break his leg, but rather gave him a soft tackle.

“He was lucky. I remember the incident well. I told him I was going to break his leg and I gave him one [tackle]. That was a little tackle though but yeah,” the 39-year-old said.

In another incident, Paintsil explains why he held former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard by the chest. He says it was in retaliation to the English man’s foul on him and again he was not given a booking for the violent conduct.

“Gerrard, who was on my heels, kicked me from behind, causing me to lose my balance and fall, so the referee whistled against him”, he stated.

“As soon as I got up, Gerrard rushed on me, held my ribs with both hands, and started pinching me.

“In reaction, I also held the ribs of Gerrard and pinched him so hard that he almost screamed, but the referee, who never saw the action, eventually separated us.

“He [the referee] never noticed the pinching because he only gazed at our foreheads to see if any of us would head-butt for him to flash his card.”

The 2020-21 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season is soon to get underway, with hundreds of thousands of FPL managers across the globe battling it out in different leagues to earn the highest honour.

The deadline for the first week of the FPL season is set for September 12, 2020, 90 minutes before the first kick-off of the season.

A selection of transfer fees for big-name Premier League players have already been unveiled, and Goal takes a look at some positional changes for the new FPL campaign.

The FPL have confirmed a total of 18 positional changes to players for the upcoming season.

These positional changes have been made based on their performances during the previous campaign.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been shifted from a forward to a midfielder following his season playing on the left wing for Arsenal, while West Ham's Michail Antonio has had his position changed from a midfielder to a forward after scoring 10 times in the lone striker role.

Identifying Aubameyang as a midfielder and not a forward has been one of the biggest changes for next season, with the FPL stating: “Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang adds to the wealth of midfield options for FPL managers.

“The Gabonese largely played as a left winger for Arsenal last term, scoring 22 goals for the second successive season.

“He is the joint-most expensive midfielder along with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.”

A trio of Manchester United players also have had their positions updated.

Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood are now midfielders in the Fantasy Premier League, following their roles on either flank under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while Anthony Martial is now classified as a forward.

These changes will have an impact on the points scoring system.

For players like Aubameyang, who moved from being a forward to a midfielder, they will award their FPL managers more points (five) instead of the previous four.

On the other hand, the threat of midfielders who have been reidentified as forwards has now been downgraded, as they will earn less points through scoring.

View the complete list below.

Al Nassr got a 4-1 away victory over Al Taawoun in Thursday’s Saudi Arabia Pro League with Abderrazak Hamdallah scoring a hat-trick and Ahmed Musa boasting of a brace of assists.

Prior to this clash at Buraidah's King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, the Morocco international had found the net in successive games against Abha and Al Wahda.

Against Vítor Campelos’s men, he showed no signs of ending his awe-inspiring run in front of goal as he inspired his team to a crucial away triumph.

Five minutes into the five-goal thriller, Nigeria international Musa set him up for his first goal of the evening after firing past goalkeeper Cassio.

Again, Musa turned provider for Moroccan midfielder Nordin Amrabat who doubled Al Nassr’s lead in the 17th minute as Rui Vitoria’s side took a two-goal advantage into the half-time break.

In the second-half, the visitors continued from where they stopped and deservedly got their third of the day through Hamdallah in the 49th minute courtesy of an assist from compatriot Amrabat.

Nevertheless, the hosts reduced their deficit in the 54th minute as Cape Verde midfielder Heldon Ramon turned Nildo Petrolina’s pass past goalkeeper Bradley Jones.

The 29-year-old’s treble was complete with nine minutes left to play after converting a penalty following an infringement in the hosts’ goal area.

He has now scored 23 times in 23 appearances so far this season as he hopes to win the Saudi Arabia Golden Boot for the second time in a row.

With 34 strikes from 26 games in his debut season at King Fahd Stadium, he picked up the top scorer’s award.

While Hamdallah and Amrabat lasted for the entire duration of the encounter, former Leicester City man Musa was replaced after 68 minutes by Mukhtar Ali.

For Al Taawoun, Ramos came out in the 72nd minute for Ryan Al Mousa with Burundi’s Cedric Amissi featuring from start to finish.

Thanks to this victory, Musa’s team moved to second in the log after garnering 54 points from 26 games - six points behind leaders Al Hilal with four games left to play.

They host bottom-placed Al Adalah on Tuesday, while Al Taawon are guests of Al Wahda with the ambition of ending their four-game losing streak.

Express FC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Isaac Mwesigwa has promised the club's fans the good old days will be back.

The Ugandan Premier League side is restructuring for the new season, hoping to push for top honours. The last time the team won major silverware was way back in the 2011/12 season when they bagged the league title.

"The fans from feedback on the social media platforms are really enjoying the ride and we are not done yet," Mwesigwa told the Express FC website.

"Fans should be patient as we are rebuilding skillfully with the purpose of reviving the glorious days at Wankulukuku and with their support, the good times will be revived."

The six-time league champions have already signed four players to bolster their squad. Goalkeeper Cryspus Kusiima was the first to be brought on board to strengthen the department, signing a two-year contract in the process. His compatriot Denis Otim also joined on a four-year deal.

Another signing was defender Richard Bbosa who was acquired on a four-year deal as well, with creative midfielder Abel Eturude getting a two-year deal.

After signing, the 21-year-old Bbosa, explained he has come to help the team solve the problem at the back.

"I know about last season’s leakage at the back which is rather unfortunate and no defender would want to be a part of that," the defender said.

"However, for us to have a solid backline everyone has to come to the party, it takes two to tangle."

Express depended on Issa Lumu and Arthur Kiggundu. Bbosa’s signing is expected to make the partnership even better.

Head coach Wasswa Bbosa will be keen to have strong defenders after the club conceded 37 goals in the abandoned season.

"I have joined Express to ensure we don’t concede and also work together as a team so that we can win the league next season,” Bbosa continued.

Express have also been linked with Faisal Ssekyanzi, Steven Luswata and Godfrey Lwesibawa.

Murushid Juuko, Abel Eturude and Enock Walusimbi are some of the defenders that coach Bbosa is also targeting to strengthen the team even more.

Antonio Conte has backed Inter to "leave their mark on history" by sinking Sevilla in the Europa League final.

In a warning to his players, head coach Conte said the thrill of their run to the showpiece will be soon forgotten if they fail to come away with the trophy.

Although the former Juventus boss knows his team will be facing Europa League specialists, who won the competition in three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016, he is confident Inter can triumph in Cologne.

Speaking in a news conference ahead of Friday's game, Conte said Inter would have no fear of the opposition, declaring his team have grown "braver" over the first season of his reign.

"I was involved in a number of finals in my playing career," said the former Juventus and Italy star. "I won some of those matches but I also lost a number of finals.

"What I've realised is that people only remember when you win finals.

"I won the Champions League but I also lost a further three in the final. The people who leave their mark on history are those that win those matches and trophies."

Inter crushed Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 in Monday's semi-final, teeing up a shot at a Sevilla side who battled past Manchester United.

"We should be proud we've reached a European final for the first time in 10 years," Conte said.

"But history is written by the conquerors, the winners. History will only record ultimately the team that wins this season's Europa League.

"It's a shame but equally that's added motivation for us."

Conte, a three-time Serie A champion as coach of Juve and Premier League winner at Chelsea, said he took the Inter job only because he sensed there was a chance of silverware.

He stressed he always needs to be sure there is a sniff of success before taking a job, even if it amounts to just a one per cent possibility. Now the chance of a first trophy at Inter is far greater.

"All the players, the staff, the kitman, the groundsmen, all of them have that feeling and that percentage has only grown day in, day out because the players are very willing to work hard," said Conte.

"They've got a lot of desire to improve. They want to lead from the front this season and achieve something. Credit goes to the players and my perception has grown day in, day out working with these players.

"All of them bought into the work we did and became braver as the season has gone on. The braver we became, the greater scope we had to go on and win a big trophy like the Europa League.

"We need to make the most of the opportunity."

Asked about the potential fear factor involved in facing a team such as Sevilla, Conte said: "I don't use the word 'fear'. I don't want my players to have it in their locker either.

"We really rate the opposition and we rate their history in this competition.

"That said, if we've managed to reach the final it's because we also have our strengths and we will try to play to our strengths."

South Africa international Kamohelo Mokotjo has completed his move to Major League Soccer (MLS) side FC Cincinnati.

The experienced defensive midfielder was recently released by English Championship outfit Brentford after the club missed out on promotion to the Premier League.

The Orange and Blue made the announcement on their official website on Thursday:

A club statement read: "FC Cincinnati have signed South Africa international midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo using Targeted Allocation Money."

"Mokotjo, 29, will occupy an international roster slot and be added to FC Cincinnati’s 2020 roster upon the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P1 Visa."

Mokotjo made 26 appearances, including 25 starts, for Brentford scoring one goal and adding two assists across all competitions during the recent 2019/20 season.

Cincinnati general manager Gerard Nijkamp welcomed the hard-tackling player to the American side and he lauded him as an intelligent player.

"We are pleased to add a player in Kamo who will be a strong fit for what we are looking to do at FC Cincinnati,” Nijkamp said. 

“He is an intelligent player that will be an asset for our club on both sides of the pitch. We look forward to welcoming Kamo to Cincinnati and having him integrate within our locker room.”

Mokotjo, who was nurtured in the SuperSport United academy, is looking forward to playing for his new club.

“I felt like now is the right moment for a new challenge at a club that has big potential and is willing to challenge itself,” Mokotjo said.

“I think in a way this is a perfect match. I’m honoured and ready to relish this opportunity and challenge.”

Mokotjo is a well-travelled player having played for Feyenoord, FC Twente, Excelsior and PEC Zwolle in Holland, before moving to Brentford in 2017.

The Odendaalsrus-born midfield maestro was coached by newly appointed FC Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman at Feyenoord.

He helped Bafana Bafana reach the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) quarter-finals in Egypt.

Newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool are unlikely to dominate English football like Manchester United did under Sir Alex Ferguson, according to John Barnes.

Liverpool's 30-year wait for domestic glory came to an end in 2019-20, as Jurgen Klopp's men dethroned Manchester City in spectacular fashion.

The Reds won the title with a record-breaking seven matches to spare, and ended up finishing 18 points clear at the summit.

Liverpool have also triumphed in the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup over the past 15 months, with the general consensus being that a power shift has taken place at the top of the Premier League.

Klopp's side are already being tipped to defend their crown next season, but Barnes is not certain that they will be able to sustain their recent success.

The Reds legend says the financial power of the top six will prevent another era of superiority similar to Ferguson's at Old Trafford - which saw United win 13 league titles between 1992 and 2013 - from being ushered in, with competition in the transfer market now fiercer than ever.

Barnes told Sky Sports of the current state of play in the top flight: "It’s very difficult to defend a title but Liverpool aren’t defending the title.

"Liverpool are going to defend the games that they play, so Jurgen Klopp doesn’t put pressure on them to win titles, he puts pressure on them to win football matches.  

"It’s an old cliche, take every game as it comes. It’s difficult for any one team, Liverpool included, to dominate English football like Liverpool did in the 1980s or Manchester United did under Sir Alex Ferguson. 

"In any given year, any of the top six teams can go and spend £200-300 million to get better players to challenge or to win. 

"It’s going to be difficult now because of the financial implications of all the top Premier League teams in terms of them being able to go and spend so much money for next season to be much more competitive. 

"I don’t think you’re going to see any one team dominating as we saw Manchester United did under Sir Alex Ferguson."

Ghanaian football stakeholders have been advised to boycott the upcoming Football Association (GFA) Meeting of Ordinary Congress scheduled for September 1 on grounds of bad timing.

Having initially scheduled the meeting to be held via online video conferencing technology Zoom on August 27, the GFA has had to re-adjust the conference to an in-person programme while settling for a new date after Ghana president Nana Akufo-Addo lifted unfavourable restrictions on public conferences in relation to the Covid-19 health challenges.

The new date has not gone down well in certain quarters as on the same day, Ghana is expecting a big Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) verdict which could result in a complete overhaul of the current GFA administration.

“Can’t we get any other date apart from 1 September for the congress?” renowned football administrator and former Ghana Division One League Board chairman Ntow Fianko told Happy FM.

“If we are at Congress everybody will be in a panic mood. We should all wait for the CAS ruling so we know our stand before we go to Congress.

“People will be too anxious to know the outcome of the verdict. We cannot be waiting for the CAS verdict on the day of Congress. That date is a serious day because that is the day will know the fate of Ghana football.

"The clubs should say no to the date set by the GFA for Congress. The Congress can be postponed to a later date and I urge the clubs to say no to the new date."

The GFA has been hauled before CAS by Tema Youth president Wilfred Kwaku Osei 'Palmer' who is seeking redress over "unfair" disqualification from the FA's presidential election last year.

“CAS did not consult us [GFA] before setting September 1 [for announcement of its judgement], so I don’t know why you ask me what went into taking that decision. Nothing went into it," GFA communications director Henry Asante Twum told Happy FM.

"The [GFA] Executive Council took the right decision. Dates do not belong to any organisation, institution or whatever. Dates are free.

"We have five working days in a week and you can choose whichever you want for whatever you want. There’s no rationale behind choosing a date for Congress."

Among the top agenda, the Ordinary Congress will see a review of the activity report for the prematurely terminated 2019-20 Ghana football season ahead of anticipated commencement of a new campaign in the second week of October.

New York Red Bulls manager Chris Armas has explained why it will take a while before new recruit Samuel Tetteh will get to play with the first team.

The 24-year-old Ghana international joined the Harrison-based outfit on loan from affiliated Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg and will spend the entire 2020 regular season with Armas’ team.

With the regular season now underway after the completion of the MLS is Back tournament which was won by the Portland Timbers in Orlando, Florida, Tetteh will not be able to get into the action immediately as he has to quarantine as per Covid-19 control measures before getting him in a training schedule for fitness and acclimatisation with his new environment.

Dru Yearwood (from Brentford) is the other latest addition to the Red Bulls squad after Tetteh. The Red Bulls tackle rivals New York City FC at home on Thursday night.

“It's looking like Samuel Tetteh is arriving any day now,” said Armas on the club website.

“There's a natural quarantine period when players arrive now, and then we will see the players out at the training field, and we will be able to work with those players on some level and get them ready, physically ready, style of play ready with conversation through a Zoom call meeting just to transfer information.

“We've been in touch with the players, but yeah it's right there in the next few weeks we will have them ready to go, that’s the plan, which is really exciting to inject some new faces. It's just a natural process of how teams evolve, so yeah, we want to add freshness, some quality, and some different qualities into the team.

“We have to see how he [Tetteh] fits into our group and how the speed of play of Major League Soccer, the speed of play of our team and our style of play are not common all the time, and we see players that come into our team that as talented as they are, sometimes it takes a little bit of time, but we see that his qualities will fit nicely with our group. We will push him in the right way, get him ready as soon as possible and kind of fast track that process, so we can use him right away.”

Tetteh spent the last three seasons on loan at LASK, playing 42 times in all competitions last season, scoring seven goals and providing another seven assists. He has been at Salzburg since 2017 but has only made two appearances for the Austrian giants.

Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny has taken to social media to announce his departure from Besiktas having spent the entire 2019-20 season on loan.

The 28-year-old Egyptian was a mainstay in the Black Eagles squad, making 36 appearances in all competitions, 27 of them coming in the Turkish Super Lig where he scored one goal and provided four assists.

Elneny only missed four top-flight games which were due to a three-game suspension for a straight red card he collected on the opening day of the season in a 3-2 defeat by Gaziantep. He also missed a 2-1 loss by Goztepe because of an accumulation of four yellow cards.

He averaged 88 minutes per game in the Super Lig, 1.0 interceptions, 1.3 tackles and 1.1 clearances. Elneny did not commit any error leading to a shot, goal or concede a penalty.

“Yesterday was my last day in Istanbul & fans made it very emotional by the amount of love I witnessed,” Elneny said in a Twitter post.

“Besiktas fans: I was really touched and will always be grateful. Management & teammates: A memorable season with a superb ending by qualifying for the Champions League. Thank you for everything.”

Elneny is expected to return to Arsenal and will reportedly be part of the team’s pre-season preparations with the Premier League set to kick off on September 12 and the Gunners tackling newly-promoted Fulham at Craven Cottage.

It does not look certain that Elneny will be in Mikel Arteta’s plans despite his impressive loan stint at Besiktas. The Egyptian is not lacking suitors however with Besiktas looking to bring him back on a permanent basis while other Turkish giants in Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Trabzonspor, are all rumoured to want to acquire him.

Elneny arrived from Basel in 2016 and has played 89 times in all competitions for Arsenal, 46 of them coming in the Premier League where he is yet to score but has provided three assists. He won the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2017 before finishing runner-up in the League Cup in 2018 and Europa League in 2019.

Elneny is a 78-time capped Egypt international and has featured at the 2017 and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, finishing runner-up in the former. He also participated at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Pharaohs finishing bottom of Group A with no points after losses to the hosts, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.

A representative of Ghanaian striker Joseph Esso, Mohammed Ali Wasiu has rubbished rumours the attacker has agreed a deal with Asante Kotoko following his recent departure from Hearts of Oak.

The 23-year-old surprisingly parted ways with the Phobians earlier this month over a lack of understanding on a proposed contract extension.

After moves for a sensational U-turn fell through, speculations became rife the striker has promptly switched allegiance to Kotoko, Hearts' archrivals.

"He [Esso] has not agreed anything with any Ghanaian club even though all the top clubs are getting in contact with me, which is not surprising. [When] a player of Esso's calibre becomes available, every club will be interested," Wasiu said as reported by Allsportsghana.

Reports have been that Esso left Hearts following the club's unwillingness to meet a GHC 50,000 [€7,360] annual wage demand.

“Money was never an issue in our negotiations with Esso, he wanted to sign for just a season whilst we negotiated for a two-year deal," Hearts public relations officer Kwame Opare Addo told Fox FM.

“It wasn’t going to make a business sense for us to have signed him on a year deal. Since we couldn’t reach a compromise we had to let go of him."

Esso joined Hearts in 2018. Last season, he netted three times in 14 matches in the Ghana Premier League which was prematurely terminated at Matchweek 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I don’t want to talk about individual players but people are writing things that are not true. I hope and pray they didn’t get the facts from Joseph Esso, if so then it means they lied," Hearts chief executive officer (CEO) Frederick Moore told Happy FM.

“It will be unprofessional of me to reveal the facts. The negotiations started not long after the Normalisation Special Competition.

"After my conversation with the player and his guardian, the coach and the Board members also spoke to him. The player knows the truth and the people around him should speak to him.

“Hearts of Oak had to announce his exit because contract extension talks had broken down."

Esso was just one of five first team players who left the Phobians earlier this month on a free transfer, a situation which had brought the club's management under huge criticism.

There could be hope for the return of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) as the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohamed is set to unveil the guidelines of the resumption of sports on Friday.

In a communique sent to the media houses, the unveiling ceremony will be held virtually as the committee that was tasked to engage various sports stakeholders is set to make public their report.

The committee was tasked to engage all the stakeholders but not limited to sports organisations and collect their views in regard to resuming sports which has remained suspended for over five months since the ban on public gatherings were effected.

The ban was declared by the state in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in March. 

The committee is also expected to explain the modalities of sports resumption after reviewing the existing global trends.

Hassan Noor Hassan was appointed to lead the panel that included Pius Meto, Rose Wachuka, Walter Ongeti, Gerald Gitonga, Agnes Oluoch, Naim Bilal, Elias Makori, Wycliffe Makanga, Doreen Odhiambo, Japhpter Rugut, Rose Wasike, Barnabas Korir, Francis Mutuku, Christine Mangwana, Kweya Obed, James Ochola and Sylvia Kamau.

The public gathering ban saw KPL and other leagues cancelled in May by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) a decision that generated friction between them and KPL.

FKF prematurely ended the leagues, declared Gor Mahia champions and expected new guidelines might give them room to draw a roadmap for the start of the 2020/21 season.

Meanwhile, Bandari head coach Ken Odhiambo hopes to lead the club to their first-ever KPL title.

“When we regroup, I hope all our players will be okay to enable us to settle quickly in training,” Odhiambo told The Star.

“Any coach in the league wants to win and so I really hope things will get better soon so that we are back in action as we seek to win our first league title.”

The club's technical director Twahir Muhiddin stated the upcoming season will be competitive especially with the arrival of new sponsors.

“The league will be very competitive with new sponsorship from BetKing,” the former Harambee Stars coach told The Star.

“It will be real when we restart. Exploits of Kakamega Homeboyz pushed the league to desirable heights in the [previous] season; Leopards did really well towards the end and Tusker also upped their game considerably.

“So, thrills and spills are guaranteed if events of the season are anything to go by.”

As FKF remains uncertain when the next season is to start, Fufa has given October 17 as the tentative date for the Uganda Premier League resumption.

Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has produced fixtures for the Mainland Premier League which is to start on September 6.

Fresh from a big win over Mamelodi Sundowns on Monday evening, Cape Town City were downed by neighbours Stellenbosch who handed them a 1-0 defeat in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Thursday evening at Tuks Stadium.

Although the Citizens were favourites to bag the maximum points, coach Steve Barker’s men were also in high spirits after their 1-0 over Golden Arrows last weekend.

Coming to the match, the hosts started on a good note as they pushed for an early goal and Asavela Mbelike came close in the 17th minute on the far post, but he failed to connect with the cross from the right-hand side.

Coach Jan Olde Riekerink’s troops were not the same team that defeated the reigning PSL champions on Monday evening at Loftus Versfeld Stadium as they seemed to struggle to penetrate their neighbours.

Midfielder Granwald Scott attempted to beat goalkeeper Peter Leeuwenburgh in the 42nd minute from a rebound, but his well-driven half-volley was blocked to deflect for a corner kick.

However, striker Kermit Erasmus broke the deadlock a minute later with a brilliant chip on goalkeeper Lee Langeveldt, but the goal was not allowed and adjudged for an off-side.

Defender Abbubaker Mobara was called to produce a fine clearance on the goal line after Ashley Du Preez managed to break free and beat Leeuwenburgh, but his effort was cleared by the former Orlando Pirates defender on the stroke of half-time.

The opening half ended in a goalless draw.

Upon their emergence from the tunnel, Barker’s troops came back stronger and pushed the former MTN8 champions to commit errors at the back.

Leletu Skelem managed to eventually make it 1-0 for the Cape Winelands outfit with a long-range effort to beat the experienced keeper, Leeuwenburgh, on his left corner in the 50th minute.

The 64th minute gave the Citizens an opportunity to equalize but substitute Tashreeq Morris could not bury a cross from the left-flank through Ebrahim Seedat as the target man saw his free header sailing inches wide off the left corner.

City was awarded a set-piece in a dangerous area when Morris was fouled on the edge of the box, veteran Mpho Makola took the free-kick and it was initially blocked before the rebound hit the woodwork and eventually cleared in the 81st minute.

The dying stages of the encounter saw Riekerink's men controlling the proceedings in the heart of the park, and Langeveldt denied Morris from close range as the keeper was well-positioned to hold on the shot.

Resulting from the victory, the former National First Division (NFD) champions now occupy the 11th spot with 33 points from 25 games whilst their visitors sit seventh with as many points so far.

Meanwhile, the win hands Stellies a massive boost as they will face log leaders, Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday evening at Orlando Stadium.