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The South African Football Association (Safa) has welcomed the PSL's decision to resume and conclude the 2019-20 season. 

On Monday, the league announced the season will return on August 8 with the Nedbank Cup semi-finals taking the centre stage before the league matches can resume on August 12.  

Mamelodi Sundowns, Bloemfontein Celtic, Bidvest Wits and Baroka FC are the four teams still in with a chance to win this year's Nedbank Cup. 

The four teams will be expected to go into the bio-bubble on August 7 provided they comply with all the stringent measures put in place by the Joint Liaison Committee and government.  

Gauteng is the province that will stage all the games, with 14 stadiums earmarked as training venues while 11 stadiums will be used as venues for competitive matches.  

Safa president Danny Jordaan thanked PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza and his board of governors for finally putting the matter to bed. 

"I would like to thank the NSL chairman and the entire BoGs for helping put this matter to rest," Jordaan told the association's website.  

Jordaan said the country will now get the chance to witness a fair conclusion to the season.  

"We will now witness the ultimate and fair conclusion to the current and unique season and I am sure the football-loving fans can’t wait for football to resume again," continued the country's FA boss. 

After rejecting the league's proposed return date of July 18 due to the unavailability of match officials, Jordaan said everyone will be ready when football returns. 

"The match officials are getting into peak fitness and come August 8, it will be all systems go," concluded Jordaan.

The league is expected to finalise every little detail that has to do with the return of football in the next 72 hours. 

However, Khoza said in his press conference that there will be no need to reshuffle the fixtures - meaning the season will resume where it ended when all sporting activities got suspended in mid-March. 

There are 54 PSL matches, 44 NFD and three Nedbank Cup games that have to be completed before the season can officially be completed.  

Nigeria's Francisca Ordega has been forced to postpone her return to China due to the flights ban while Zambia's Barbra Banda reunited with Shanghai this week.

Ordega and Banda were missing when the Chinese Women's Super League club resumed training for the first time in June following more than two months of inactivity due to the coronavirus.

The African duo were last part of the Shanghai set up during a preseason tour in Portugal, where they trained before the world went into lockdown in March following the global health crisis.

On March 26, Chinese authorities announced the suspension of entry of foreigners into the country from March 28, 2020, which forced the Nigerian and Zambian to return to their countries.

Since the lockdown eased in June, Goal understands the foreigners, who were issued visas after March 28, are now free to enter China, which means they are expected to obtain new visas. 

Banda, who completed her move to the Chinese outfit from Spanish side Logrono in February, breathed a sigh of relief after the Zambia government lifted the ban on international flights on June 26.

Having accessed a fresh entry visa, the 20-year-old, who has been in Lusaka since inspiring Zambia to a maiden Olympic Games qualification in March, left the country for China at the weekend.

For Ordega, who helped the Chinese side to a runners-up spot last season, will have to wait for a little longer with the ban on international entries still in force, despite resuming local flights this month. 

Besides Ordega, other restricted Africans plying their trade in China include Ghana's Elizabeth Addo of Jiangsu Suning, Nigeria's duo Onome Ebi and Chiwendu Ihezuo of Henan Huishang.

With the unavailability of Ordega, Shanghai will have to rely on Banda when they begin their domestic campaign in the 2020 Chinese Women's Football Championship in August. 

Ordega was also on international duty with Nigeria when Shanghai bowed 6-2 on aggregate to Addo and Chawinga's Jiangsu Suning in the Chinese Women's FA Cup semi-final defeat last year.

Without the Nigerian's services, Shanghai will hope to clinch the trophy this time, having finished fifth after a 2-1 play-off win over Wuhan last season.

Lille president Gerard Lopez has revealed that they are still receiving offers for Nigerian sensation Victor Osimhen even as a move to Napoli is nearing ever closer.

The 21-year-old has been one of the most talked-about players in the transfer market, with the Partenopei looking to acquire his services in a deal in the region of €60 - 80 million, as they look to improve under coach Gennaro Gattuso.

It was recently reported that Osimhen had changed his agent because of the cordial relationship between Lopez and Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, and didn’t want anything standing in the way of a move to the San Paolo.

The former Wolfsburg and Charleroi man scored 18 goals in 38 competitive outings for Lille last season.

“The player decided to change agents in the middle of the negotiations. We had to start all over again,” Lopez told L’Equipe as reported by Le10Sport.

“The player has made his choice, Napoli. Its advanced, details are missing. It will be announced when the time comes. As it's not yet official, we continue to have other offers. I want to keep good relations with these clubs too.

“So, I manage their expectations. It is a transfer which is not linear. The market in France opened before closing [until August 15]. In Italy, the transfer window opens in September. So, you need a multitude of contracts to cover all eventualities.”

Lopez went on to admit that Osimhen’s departure will force a shakeup in the team’s attack while the club is not known to buy established players, but rather prospects like the Super Eagles forward.

As such, the Spanish businessman believes the club’s strong scouting network will come in handy.

He also insists they have no excuse not to knock oil-rich Paris Saint-Germain off their perch and challenge for the Ligue 1 title, having narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification by just a single point and position.

“His [Osimhen’s imminent] departure in itself, no [is no disaster]. But for the reconstruction of the attack line, yes,” Lopez continued.

“There is an approach led by [Lille sporting director] Luis [Campos] who offers [Lille head coach] Christophe Galtier players.

“Where some people get it wrong is when we see specific names coming out they think they will necessarily sign. Even if we are interested in a player, it is only in combination with others. It's more complex than selling a player and then finding a replacement.

“Strength is the system and the quality of our scouting process. We will have no excuse not to fight for the top of the table.

"We don't have a big budget to look elsewhere. We will remain humble and we will find talent.”

Barcelona midfielder Arthur has told the club he does not want to play for them anymore as the midfielder refuses to return from Brazil, Goal understands.

The Brazil international will join Juventus this summer after a deal worth €72 million (£66m/$81m) plus up to €10m in bonuses was agreed in June, but his contract with Barcelona will run until the Champions League campaign is over.

Coach Quique Setien gave his players a break after their second-place finish in La Liga and the 23-year-old took the opportunity to return to his homeland.

He was expected back to undergo tests for Covid-19 this week and begin preparations for the second leg of the last-16 against Napoli on August 8, but he has notified the club that he will not return.

Barca have warned Arthur that he will be violating his contract and will face fines for his conduct, but he is standing firm and refuses to represent Quique Setien’s side again.

Arthur moved to Camp Nou from Gremio in a €40 million (£35m/$47m) deal in 2018. He has made 72 appearances in all competitions, 28 in 2019-20.

His playing time this season was limited by injury until he was dropped altogether, with his last appearance being a four-minute cameo against Celta Vigo in late June.

Two days after that match and the day Barca confirmed they had reached an agreement with Juventus, Arthur insisted he would give his all for the club for the remainder of the season.

“I know I'm going to belong to a big club; many challenges await us before we can be together with the Bianconeri,” he posted on social media.

"Now I'm focused on the present, we have important goals in Barcelona and I will continue to the end giving everything, for my teammates and all the fans.”

His absence could pose problems for coach Setien, who will already be without Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal for the match against Napoli due to suspension.

While Arthur will head to Juventus ahead of next season, Bosnia-Herzegovina international midfielder Miralem Pjanic will move in the opposite direction in a €60m (£55m/$67m) deal.

Mwinyi Zahera has hit out on Luc Eymael for the demeaning remarks made against Yanga SC fans, at the same time stating the tactician will struggle to get a $2000 salary in Europe.

The Belgian was fired by the 27-time champions on Monday after calling the fans monkeys and dogs and the Congolese coach is hurt and angered by the comments.

"[Eymael] is lucky to get $6000 [at Yanga] when he cannot get even $2000 in Europe," Zahera told Mwanaspoti.

"He cannot get such amount then come to Africa and start abusing people; he has made me mad, it has hurt me.

"Team officials should be careful when they hire coaches [from abroad] because they get a lot of money in Africa. In Congo, we were let to run our teams because we have the qualifications needed for the same."

The former Wananchi coach has also commented on the issue of coaching which the Belgian also commented on.

"I keenly follow the [Tanzania Mainland League] from Europe [in France] where Eymael usually complains about officiating," Zahera added.

"However, I am aware that [Tanzania Football Federation] (TFF) looked out those referees who are performing poorly; they are not officiating."

The Belgian commented on the demeaning remarks he made after his team dropped points against Mtibwa Sugar.

"On Wednesday, I was very frustrated after the game...I was disappointed with the direction of the fans," Eymael told Goal.

"I didn't go for the interview, just went straight to my hotel. All people were calling me [names] but I did not want to respond.

"Then there is this one guy from Simba who kept harassing me, and I reacted."

On firing the former AFC Leopards coach, Yanga maintained their core values demand respect for humanity, which they claim Eymael failed to adhere to.

"Owing to those unsporting remarks, Yanga management has decided to fire [Luc] Eymael effective today, Monday, July 27 and will ensure he leaves the country as soon as possible," the record Mainland Premier League side said as they parted ways with the Belgian.

"The management apologises to the country's leaders, Tanzania Football Federation, members, Yanga fans and the citizens in general for the disgusting and demeaning remarks by coach Luc Eymael.

"Yanga SC value and believe in pillars of discipline and humanity, and are against any form of racism."

Hartford Athletic manager Radhi Jaidi has revelled in his side’s 3-2 victory over Philadelphia Union II in Saturday’s USL Championship encounter.

Trailing by two goals in the first 16 minutes of the encounter, Jaidi’s men bounced back to secure maximum points at the Dillon Stadium.

The visitors took the lead after four minutes when Yomi Scintu - a German footballer of Italian and Congolese descent - buried the ball past goalkeeper Parfait Mandanda after a pass across the backline was missed by Kevin Politz.

Axel Picazo then doubled the lead for the hosts 12 minutes later.

That goal woke the hosts from their slumber and Gabriel Torres pulled one back for Hartford in the 39th minute after hitting a powerful shot over Ben Martino.

A brilliant effort from Mads Jorgensen off Danny Flores’ assist went just under a diving Martino, following a poor clearance by Union II from their own box, to level scores two minutes before the half-time break.

Victory was sealed in the 53rd-minute when Ever Guzman converted a Danny Barrera pass that left goalkeeper Martino stranded.

Thanks to this victory, Hartford have now won their first three games of the new season to lead the Eastern Conference log with nine points.

Delighted by this latest triumph, the Tunisia legend went on social media to express his excitement with his team’s impressive form.

“I thank our fans who encouraged us throughout the match. We will try to continue in the same way to make them happy and improve the team.”

Hartford Athletic will face Indy Eleven in their next outing on Thursday at the Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.

Jaidi was previously a player with Southampton, featuring 66 times between 2009 and 2012, when he hung up his boots.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has warned non-members from conducting county association elections which are not approved.

The FKF’s statement comes barely a day after the Sports Registrar Rose Wasike gave Mombasa County the green light to hold FKF county polls after they moved to comply with the 2013 Sports Act.

“Football Kenya Federation national office has learnt of plans by a small section of non-FKF members to carry out Football Association elections, with the main aim of occasioning confusion and anarchy in the management and running of football, especially at the grassroots level,” read a letter signed by FKF general-secretary Barry Otieno and obtained by Goal.

“Further, the national office has also learnt with a lot of concern of the continued use of FKF logo by the said non-members in their correspondences and has written to both Fifa and the Registrar of Sports with regard to the same as both the FKF emblem and logo are registered trademarks that should not be exploited without prior consent from the federation.

“In light of the aforementioned, and in view of the existing FKF regulations and statutes pertaining to how FKF elections should be called and conducted, the national office wishes to advise all members to refrain from taking part in the purported elections being organised by non-members.”

Otieno further stated the willingness of the federation to conduct the national elections when the situation allows.

“The federation, in consultation with Fifa, will at an opportune time and dependent on the Covid-19 situation in the country, inform the members of the FKF elections roadmap,” the letter added.

“Even so, the federation wishes to remind all members of their obligations to both the FKF and Fifa statutes and the need to adhere to the same while engaging in the aforementioned matter.

“The federation will continue to monitor the situation, with the option of taking the next steps should these exercises infringe on the rights of any member.”

Mombasa, according to Wasike, becomes the first county to be cleared after meeting the election demands made by her office.

“I hereby certify that on this day I have registered Mombasa County Football Association as a County sports association under section 45 of the Sports Act 2013 (revised edition 2013) with the following conditions,” she said.

FKF presidential aspirant Twaha Mbarak confirmed the Mombasa elections will be held on August 15.

“There shall be eight positions to be contested – chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, vice-secretary, treasurer, vice-treasurer, women representative and youth representative,” said Mbarak.

The FKF has been unable to hold its elections given the legal hurdles that have been placed on its path by the dissatisfied members and contestants.

The Premier League season came to an exciting conclusion on Sunday, and the fates of Africa’s biggest stars in the world’s greatest league is one of the hot topics discussed on African Football HQ this week.

There were heroics at Aston Villa, as they survived relegation with a 1-1 draw with West Ham United in a cagey encounter at the London Stadium.

Egypt’s Trezeguet didn’t do too much on the day, but he’s rightly been praised by Malek Shafei, who believes the wideman’s end-of-season form makes his maiden campaign in England a success.

The same can’t be said for Ismaila Sarr as he drops into the Championship with Watford, but surely the Senegal wideman won’t be sticking around in the second tier for long.

Ed Dove believes that he could be a good fit at one of the Premier League’s bigger sides, but is he really ready for the likes of Manchester United or Liverpool?

Dominic Solanke also fell short with Bournemouth, while higher up the table, Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho missed out on Champions League qualification, as Leicester City were defeated by Odion Ighalo’s Manchester United.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Arsenal ended the season with a victory, and the Gabon international netted twice, but he still missed out on retaining his Golden Boot as the division’s top scorer.

Can he look back on a successful year?

Other strikers in the headlines this week are Victor Osimhen and Asamoah Gyan, both of whom appear to be on the move.

The former looks to be on the brink of a big-money move to Napoli, and Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has tipped the youngster to emulate or even surpass Diego Maradona’s impact in Naples.

Is this a wise forecast by the NFF President, or could his words heap unenviable pressure on young Osimhen?

Elsewhere, Gyan could be following in Florent Malouda’s footsteps by signing for Wadi Degla, but what exactly awaits him in Egypt?

One transfer that looks unlikely to go ahead is Yaya Toure’s rumoured switch to Leyton Orient, after the Ivorian legend was pictured training with the O’s.

It certainly would be a fantasy deal, but according to the West African great’s agent, he’s only training with the East London club before seeking a move abroad.

Could the Brisbane Road minnows convince the Manchester City great to extend his stay in East London?

Gor Mahia organising secretary Judith Nyangi has claimed Ambrose Rachier threatens candidates interested in challenging him for the chairmanship post.

Nyangi and Rachier have been at loggerheads recently following the requirements of the election that every candidate running for any post in the August 8 vote must possess a degree.

The organising secretary claimed those requirements are meant to lock her out of the race for the honorary treasurer’s post.

Nyangi, in an interview with Radio Jambo, alleged Rachier, who did not attract an opponent before the nomination process closed, is always issuing threats.

“Rachier is a man of threats,” Nyangi said.

“He has been clear to me over a number of occasions that Gor Mahia is his. The Sports Act is clear that no one should serve more than two terms and if anyone dares stand against Rachier, he will be threatened by him.

“Rachier has been saying that anything he has built he cannot allow anyone to take it away from him. He has been there since 2008 does it mean he is a Gor Mahia's life chairman?

“I have been wondering whether Gor Mahia are a community club or a private club.”

Nyangi further claimed Rachier’s dictatorial tendencies have denied Gor Mahia proper growth compared to other regional clubs.

“He should vacate office for other people now. Yes, Gor Mahia have been winning cups but what I know is that Gor Mahia are more than winning cups,” she added.

“At this time, we should be at the same level as Yanga SC and Simba SC, teams that have been robbing players from us. They are capable of taking our players because Gor Mahia are being run like a kiosk.

“The politics now at Gor Mahia is that everyone must support the ‘deep state’ and if you do not support the ‘deep state’ that is Rachier you should not be in the office in the first place.

“There is only one man that I will never oppose and that is Raila Amollo Odinga [the former Prime Minister].”

The deep state, mostly used in the political arena, is a body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of policies.

But Rachier, in a separate interview, explained why members might have opted not to challenge him.

“That depends on an individual's interpretation [whether he has done a good job at Gor Mahia or not],” Rachier said.

“I have on many occasions welcomed people interested to stand against me to come forward and that was before our nomination process was closed.

“When the nomination process ended, it emerged that I did not have an opponent. It may be because I have done a good job or otherwise.

“I am thankful to the members who have shown confidence in me. Members should come out and elect officials to the positions that are still vacant when the time arrives.”

Dissatisfied K’Ogalo members have already threatened to take matters to the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) and stop the elections.

Antonio Conte told Romelu Lukaku he must improve despite the Inter striker's fine form in his first season in Serie A.

Lukaku has scored 23 league goals since signing from Manchester United last year, including four in his past five games.

The Belgium international netted twice in Inter's 3-0 win at Genoa on Saturday, prompting praise from Conte, who marvelled at a brilliant second strike in stoppage time.

But the Nerazzurri head coach also suggested Lukaku could improve and hammered this message home ahead of Tuesday's clash with Napoli.

"He is a footballer who has room for improvement," Conte told Inter TV. "In some game situations, he can and must improve.

"As I said after the [Genoa] match, we are talking about an atypical footballer. Despite his size and his strength, he is also fast, with the ability to score goals like the one against Genoa in the 93rd minute.

"It's up to him and his desire to improve. The important thing is that each of us is hungry to raise the bar and try to grow more and more."

Inter are preparing to play Napoli for the fourth time this season, having faced the Partenopei in a two-legged Coppa Italia semi-final.

Conte is aware of the threat his side's next opponents possess after crashing out of that competition 2-1 on aggregate, yet he believes their performance in the second leg - a 1-1 draw - ranks among their best of the campaign.

Asked how he enjoyed the 3-1 away league win in Naples, the coach said: "It was a good game on our part, but in some ways I think that, of the three games, perhaps the most beautiful was the return leg in the Coppa Italia, where we would deserved more.

"But we are talking about a strong team, able to frustate those who have won the Scudetto in recent years. They have a very good squad and they were impressive in winning the Coppa."

Inter are second in the Serie A with two games left to the campaign. After they host Napoli on Tuesday, they visit third-place Atalanta before turning their attention to the Europa League tie against Getafe.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has sent a farewell message to his "unbelievable friend" Dejan Lovren after he completed a permanent switch to Zenit St. Petersburg.

Lovren signed a three-year contract with the Russian Premier League outfit on Monday, bringing an end to his six-year stint with the Reds.

During his stay on Merseyside, the Croatian centre-back struck a bond with Salah after the Egypt international arrived from Roma in 2017.

They both played crucial roles in helping Liverpool end their 30-year wait for a Premier League title in the 2019-20 season and also clinched the Champions League, Uefa Super Cup, and Club World Cup trophies last year.

Aside from their relationship on the pitch, Salah and Lovren displayed their bromance with cheeky social media trolls and comments on each other’s posts.

In his reaction to Lovren’s exit, the two-African Footballer of the Year said he was speechless and he would miss his "great friend" so much.

"I don't know how to say, my friend. You don't know my feeling right now. We're really going to miss you a lot - especially me,” Salah told the club website.

"You've been an unbelievable player and a great friend for me. We're going to miss you a lot. I miss you a lot, I love you so much. You've been fantastic outside the field and inside the field.

"So, thank you for everything you did for the club, thank you for everything you did for me. I wish you all the best in the future and I wish you to have a great career as well, enjoying the new club with your family.

"Thank you very much and see you soon."

Salah was a second-half substitute in Liverpool's 3-1 comeback win over Newcastle United on Sunday while Lovren was missing in their final game of the Premier League season.

The Egypt international ended the 2019-20 season with 23 goals and 12 assists for the Reds across all competitions.

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has urged the government to consider renaming the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam to Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

The former President, who ruled the East African country for two terms from 1995 to 2005, died early on Friday aged 81 in a Dar es Salaam hospital, and was behind the construction of the country’s biggest stadia.

The 60,000 sitter stadium is situated in Dar es Salaam, next to another venue – Uhuru Stadium – and was constructed during the period Mkapa was the President of the country in conjunction with some foreign investors.

TFF president Wallace Karia has called on the government to consider renaming the venue to Mkapa Stadium so as to remember the late head of state.

“I think this is the perfect moment for our friends tasked to overlook the National Stadium to change its name to Benjamin Mkapa Stadium so the upcoming generations should also be remembering him,” Karia is quoted by Daily News.

“It will be interesting to hear the name of Mkapa be regularly mentioned when national team, Simba SC or Young Africans (Yanga SC) want to use the venue to play matches.”

Karia suggested by renaming the stadium to Mkapa, it will remain as a great honour to the departed hero and will follow in the footsteps of other renamed venues like Karume Stadium and Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium, Sokoine Stadium, and Samora Stadium.

“We are fortunate to have such a magnificent stadium which is the best in East and Central Africa. Most of the countries in Africa do not have such kind of the stadium but we have it courtesy of him [late Mkapa],” Karia continued.

“I believe by the time he decided to construct the stadium, he realised that football is now a major source of revenue generation and employment to the players who are making money to support their lives through football.”

On Saturday, Yanga revealed they were planning to hold a special programme to honour late Mkapa.

Terming the third Tanzanian President as their number one fan, the club’s interim secretary-general Simon Patrick said the ceremony is to pay their last respects for Mkapa and this would be done after their final league match against Lipuli FC.

Barcelona have had to postpone renewing Clement Lenglet’s contract for financial reasons.

The 25-year-old centre-back has been a regular in the starting XI at Barca and has three years left on his deal at Camp Nou.

The Catalan side are happy with the progress he has made and are eager to tie him down for the long-term, but the Covid-19 pandemic has forced them to delay their next round of negotiations.

The Spanish giants have been hit hard by the pandemic, leading to the playing staff taking a pay cut to help alleviate their financial issues.

Although Lenglet has attracted interest from many of Europe’s top teams, the defender wants to stay with Barca and is aware the club want to upgrade his contract, which is worth less than €2 million (£ 1.83m/@2.35m) per season.

The defender will not listen to offers from elsewhere until he has received a proposal from Barcelona, who hope to commence talks again a few weeks before the new La Liga campaign kicks off.

He blossomed into an important part of Quique Setien’s team, making 38 appearances in all competitions in 2019-20, and he insisted in May that he wants to remain at the club next season.

"You never really know what the future will be like when you are a football  player, but I hope to be at Barcelona next season, yes,” he said to RMC Sport.

"It will necessarily depend on the transfer window, this is a special period for the clubs, and we're safe, but I hope to stay."

Lenglet’s situation is similar to that of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who will also have to wait before negotiations over a new deal pick up again.

The Germany international revealed in June that discussions had been taking place before the pandemic hit.

"There were already the first meetings between my agent and the club [regarding a contract extension], then the coronavirus issue came up and it was not time to discuss a contract,” he said.

"At a time when many people are concerned about their lives, we decided to postpone it. I feel good in Barcelona, ​​also because my family feels good."

Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt has expressed delight in the fact that the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign will finally resume next month, saying they are looking forward to it.

Although the league is yet to confirm the kick-off times and venues, the Clever Boys will face Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-final clash and the experienced manager says he will see what team he will play because players are rusty.

The PSL campaign was forcefully halted in March following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and the games will return in Gauteng in a Biological Safe Environment (BSE) while the campaign will be wrapped up in September.

“Yeah, we’ll play and we are looking forward to it. At least now we know we will play the cup game on the eighth I think,” Hunt told Goal.

“Well, we will see what type of team we will get out on the day because the players haven’t been playing but we are fine in terms of the mood - we don’t have problems.”

The Braamfontein-based club will look to finish the season on a high just after they were sold to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) and are expected to relocate to Limpopo province prior to the start of the new campaign.

The 56-year-old manager’s men are sixth on the log with 38 points from 21 games but Hunt could not commit to their PSL title ambitions to unseat log leaders Kaizer Chiefs, who lead the table with 48 points.

“[On] the PSL title challenge, we’ll see how it goes. We'll try and do our best in every game and see where it takes us you know,” he added.

“We will see and take it from there, but we are looking forward to the games definitely.”

The confirmation of the PSL season’s return comes after an announcement made by chairman Dr. Irvin Khoza on Monday, in which he said the games will resume with the Nedbank Cup competition, and the last game of the season will be the final.

Meanwhile, Bloemfontein Celtic are scheduled to face Baroka in the other semi-final whilst coach Pitso Mosimane will also look to retain Sundowns' PSL crown.

On the other hand, Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United share the third spot with 40 points and coach Eric Tinkler’s Maritzburg United are fifth with 39 points.

KF Tirana coach Ndubuisi Egbo has likened winning the Albanian Superliga title to Barack Obama winning the American presidency since he also suffered racial abuse on the way to achieving the historical feat.

The 47-year-old Nigerian became the first African head coach to guide a European team to a league title and is also set to be the first tactician from his continent to lead a team in the Uefa Champions League.

But before Tirana were crowned Albanian champions for the first time in 11 years, Egbo - who is fluent in Albanian - said he had to endure racial abuse which he, however, did not allow to discourage him.

“There are people who don't want me to win because of my colour. There is racism. One game they threw a banana at me. They spat at me,” Egbo told BBC Sport.

“The officials of the Albanian FA did not do anything, because it was an away game and they had a white set of fans. The police and security were there - and nobody did anything.

"They were afraid of the fans there. I couldn't do anything. I just had to accept it.

“I said to them, 'have you finished'? They wanted the ground to open up for them to disappear.”

After playing for Tirana as a goalkeeper between 2001 and 2004, Egbo rejoined the club as a goalkeeping coach in 2014.

But he only assumed the head coach role midway through the just-ended campaign, in December 2019.

It was a remarkable triumph for the Nigerian who took over the team when they stared relegation in the face and transformed them into champions.

When he was appointed head coach, Tirana were 15 points off the leaders but went on to win 20 of the 23 remaining games on their way to the champions podium.

“My fellow Africans said, 'you don't know what you've done for us by winning this championship'. It is just like when Obama won the Presidency in America. That's exactly how it is seen here,” added Egbo.

The ex-Super Eagles goalkeeper also talked about the few opportunities for African coaches in Europe.

“If you look at the English Premier League, you rarely see any dark-skinned coaches there. You have to go into the National League before you see that," Egbo continued.

“I feel both joy and sadness. We are not given enough opportunities. We only want the same opportunities. It is just like what Black Lives Matter are doing, but it the football circles, to give opportunities to those who deserve them.”

Egbo’s feat took place the same weekend former Cameroon forward Pierre Achille Webo helped Istanbul Basaksehir win the Turkish Super Lig title as an assistant coach.

Ex-Chelsea and Arsenal star Nicolas Anelka is set to be the subject of his own documentary, following in the digital streaming platform's successes with Sunderland Till I Die and the Leeds-centric Take Us Home. 

A prolific goalscorer in his own right, Anelka has also been at the centre of various controversies - with the documentary expected to be a tell-all of his side of those stories.

Goal has what you need to know about the upcoming Nicolas Anelka documentary including how to watch it, when it will be released and more.

What is the Nicolas Anelka documentary?

The former France international's upcoming documentary will be titled Anelka: Misunderstood.

Despite successful spells at the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea Real Madrid, and Juventus - where he won a combined two Premier League titles, a Serie A title and a Champions League, not to mention a European Championship with France - his career has been doused in controversy.

In the trailer, Anelka is seen saying, “I’m a footballer, I wasn’t there to have fun. If you really like me and want to do what I’ve done, you’ll only make enemies.”

Anelka: Misunderstood will no doubt delve into the ex-Arsenal star's side of the events, with his infamous exclusion from France's 2010 World Cup squad certain to be explored.

Says Netflix: "Bad boy or football genius? Famed French footballer Nicolas Anelka's controversial legacy is examined in an unflinching documentary".

Former team-mates and coaching figures such as Arsene Wenger, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Petit and Paul Pogba will all provide insight on the Frenchman.

In one of the most high-profile controversies of his career, Anelka was sent home from the France team after allegedly verbally abusing then-coach Raymond Domenech at half-time during Les Bleus' 2-0 defeat to Mexico at the World Cup.

After being criticised for his positioning by Domenech, Anelka reportedly told him in French: "Go f*** yourself you son of a w****".

Anelka refused to apologise for the exchange after being asked to do so by the French Football Federation (FFF). As punishment for the exchange, Anelka was handed an 18-game suspension from international football, though he later claimed he found the situation hilarious as he had already decided to retire from France duty.

His indivudal honours include a Premier League Golden Boot with Chelsea during the 2008-09 season, and a two-time inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year.

He retired from football in 2015 after a stint with Mumbai City FC.

You can watch the trailer for Anelka: Misunderstood below.

When will Anelka: Misunderstood be released?

Anelka: Misunderstood will be released August 5.

How can I watch Anelka: Misunderstood?

You will need a Netlix account to watch Anelka: Misunderstood. The link to watch the series is here.

In order to set up an account, go to www.netlix.com and follow the instructions or do so via the app.

In the UK, monthly Netlix subscription prices range from £5.99 (basic) to £8.99 (standard) to £11.99 (premium).

In the U.S., a monthly Netflix subscription will cost from $8.99 (basic) to $12.99 (standard) to $15.99 (premium).

Jeffrey Schlupp has been nominated as the Crystal Palace Man of the Match in their final game of the season which ended in a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 27-year-old beat Palace academy graduate Tyrick Mitchell and experienced centre-back Scott Dann in a poll cast by fans of the club.

The Eagles had nothing to fight for heading into matchday 38 as they were guaranteed survival for the next season. The Lilywhites, meanwhile, were pushing for a Europa League spot.

It was Jose Mourinho’s men who took the lead through talisman Harry Kane in the 13th minute and they held that lead until the 53rd minute when Schlupp equalised.

James McCarthy played a corner and Dann headed the ball into Jordan Ayew’s path who in turn fed Schlupp to volley home from close range.

It was Schlupp's third goal of the season, his first in 2020 and first since a 1-0 win over relegated-Bournemouth on December 3, 2019. His first of the campaign was in the preceding game at Burnley which ended 2-0, with Ivory Coast international Wilfried Zaha scoring the first goal.

Schlupp was limited to just 17 Premier League appearances of which 11 were starts, largely due to a hip injury.

Palace ultimately finished the season in 14th place and Schlupp is disappointed they couldn’t have been higher up on the log.

Indeed, at one stage, they were close to the European places with a four-game winning run in which Ayew scored in three of them. However, a seven-game losing run saw the south London club drop down and Schlupp believes avoiding defeat against Tottenham was a good end to the season.

"Since the restart, results haven’t been what we wanted but we wanted to finish off the season well and I think we’ve done that today,” the former Leicester City player said on the Crystal Palace website.

“We’ve had some key injuries. All in all, it has been a good season for us; we wanted to maybe challenge for something a bit higher in the league but it didn’t happen.

“We had some disappointing results but it was important for us to finish well and hopefully we can take that into the next season.

“We deserve a good break first and foremost, and then we get straight back into it with a shorter pre-season than normal and pick-up where we left-off after today.”

Ghana coach Baba Nuhu is excited to have received the green light to commence training with his team ahead of the 2021 Women's U17 World Cup qualifying encounter with Nigeria.

The Black Maidens were forced to break camp in March owing to a national ban on all sports as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the final round exchange against their arch-rivals also getting rescheduled.

On Sunday, Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the team is permitted to regroup under a special dispensation, as are the women's U20 team and the men's U17 outfit.

"I am so happy and glad that the President has given us the green light to start camping towards our last hurdle," Nuhu said, as reported by the GFA's official website on Monday.

"I gave out several exercises during the restriction period to all the players who were in camp before the break.

"My technical team and I did this in bid to keep them active. I am glad that now we can group together as a team to fine-tune our preparations."

Ghana will welcome Nigeria for the first leg in Cape Coast and travel away for the return fixture.

The winners over two legs book a place at the final tournament in India.

"On behalf of my teammates, we are very happy and excited that after Fifa and Caf had given the go-ahead to resume the qualifiers, today the President has also given us the green light to begin camping," Black Maidens captain Basira Alhassan remarked.

"The entire team is very happy about our coming back to the field. I believe together we will be able to put the team in a very good shape ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria."

The World Cup, which was originally planned for November this year, has been moved to February-March 2021 owing to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. 

Ghana's best performance in six past appearances at the global showpiece is a third-placed finish at the expense of Germany at Azerbaijan in 2012, having played at each of the past editions of the tournaments held thus far.

Ghana were due to take on Nigeria earlier in May but the games had to be moved to a new date over health concerns.

Chelsea are pushing to complete the signing of 21-year-old Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen and will next look to agree a fee after establishing that the German wants to move to Stamford Bridge.

Discussions have primarily been conducted through Havertz's entourage so far and qualification for next season's Champions League through a top-four finish has only strengthened the west Londoners' hand.

The Blues were waiting to see the outcome of their league campaign before doing further business after completing the double signing of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech for a combined fee of £91 million (€100m/$114m).

However, the Bundesliga club have still yet to receive any official offers after putting an asking price on Havertz at around €100 million (£90m/$111m). It is felt that a lower fee will ultimately be negotiated at around €76m (£70m/$87m).

Blues confidence centres around their financial might in the upcoming transfer window, having recently had a transfer ban while selling Eden Hazard for £88m (€96m/$113m) to Real Madrid and Alvaro Morata to Atletico Madrid for £58m (€65m/$75m).

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were both interested in Havertz, who is pushing for a move following Leverkusen's failure to qualify for the Champions League, but both clubs may not have the funds to complete a deal.

Bayern are unable to make any other major transfers due to the financial impact of coronavirus alongside their lucrative signing of Manchester City's Leroy Sane. Similarly, Real Madrid have ruled out major deal this summer due to the economic realities of the pandemic.

Havertz is back training with Leverkusen ahead of their Europa League campaign but the talks may lead to him missing the upcoming game with Rangers, much like how Timo Werner opted out of RB Leipzig's Champions League run.

Further Chelsea transfer targets include Leicester City's Ben Chilwell at left-back as well as West Ham's Declan Rice, although neither of their clubs wants to sell this summer.

Chelsea are still considering strengthening their defence as they weigh up future contract discussions with both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who both have less than two-years left on their deals.

Meanwhile, the Blues are have interest in Emerson Palmieri from Internazionale and Juventus which could raise further funds.

The west Londoners have also been scouting and considering their options regarding a goalkeeper since January, and Kepa Arrizabalaga was dropped from his No 1 goalkeeping spot for the second time this season against Wolves on Sunday with 38-year-old Willy Caballero was promoted in his place.

However they have to find an escape route for their £71m (€78m/$91.5m) record signing before considering their options. Valencia have shown an interest in a loan move but it remains to be seen whether they can even afford his £170,000-a-week wages, never mind any other fees.

Chelsea are aware of Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak and his €120 million (£110m/$137.5m) release clause, while Ajax's Andre Onana has been offered to Frank Lampard's side.

The transfer window officially opened on Monday for English clubs following the completion of the Premier League season, and it shuts on October 5.

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has named Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in his Premier League Team of the Week.

The 31-year-old was in spectacular form to help the Emirates Stadium outfit secure a 3-2 victory in their last league game of the 2019-20 season.

The Gabon international scored twice and set up Kieran Tierney for the second goal of the encounter to ensure the Gunners secured their 14th victory in the campaign, although it was not enough to see them clinch a Europa League spot.

The striker’s performances have not gone unnoticed as he has been included among the best performing players in the week under review.

Aubameyang ended the 2019-20 season with 22 league goals and three assists to finish behind Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy in the top-scorer chart.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker has been consistent in front of goal since teaming up with the Gunners, having registered 54 strikes in 85 league games.

In the recently concluded season, Aubameyang was the standout player for Mikel Arteta’s side, scoring 27 goals and providing three assists in 43 appearances across all competitions.

Last term, the striker finished as Premier League joint-top scorer along with Liverpool forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Aubameyang, who will reach the end of his contract with the Gunners in June 2021, has been linked with a number of European clubs following his eye-catching performances, including Spanish giants Barcelona.

It is yet to be seen if he will be part of Arteta’s side next season, having previously spoken of his desire to play in the Champions League again.

Aubameyang has featured for AC Milan and Saint-Etienne before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2013, where he enjoyed great success.

The forward bagged 98 goals in 144 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund during his five-year stay with the side and helped them to win a number of accolades including the Super Cup title.

The 31-year-old is current the captain of the Gabon national team and has 25 goals in 63 appearances for the Central African country.