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Real Madrid have confirmed that Isco has sustained a hamstring injury, which makes him a major doubt for Thursday's clash with Valencia.

Isco was an unused substitute during Madrid's 3-1 home win over Eibar on Sunday, which marked their first game back following the three-month coronavirus-enforced break in the season.

The 28-year-old hasn't featured for Zinedine Zidane's side since their 2-0 victory over Barcelona on March 1, and his wait to get back on the pitch now looks likely to be extended for a significant period.

Madrid have released an official statement confirming Isco has suffered damage to his right thigh ahead of Valencia's arrival at Santiago Bernabeu.

"Following the tests carried out today on our player Isco Alarcon by Real Madrid's medical department, he has been diagnosed with a hamstring injury to his right thigh," the statement published on the club's website read. "His recovery will continue to be assessed."

Madrid could also be without Isco for Sunday's trip to the Anoeta to face Real Sociedad, as the fixture list starts piling up heading into the business end of the campaign.

Zidane's men must keep winning to stay within touch of La Liga leaders Barca, who currently hold a five-point lead at the top of the table. Real can reduce that gap back to two if they win their game in hand against Valencia, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Levante at Mestalla last Friday.

Barca are targeting a third successive top-flight crown, but Sergio Ramos has stressed that the entire Madrid squad are ready to "give it everything" in their bid to dethrone Quique Setien's men.

The Madrid captain told reporters after the win over Eibar: "We've got 10 more finals. We worked hard over the last few weeks to come back and to keep the form that maybe we've lost over the last couple of months."

Zidane will also still have his sights set on the fourth Champions League crown of his managerial career, as the Blancos look ahead to a last-16 second-leg meeting with Manchester City in August.

The competition will be completed over the course of 16 days in Lisbon, and the Madrid boss has embraced the new format brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

Manchester United have pledged to donate to anti-racism organisation Kick it Out if fans choose to get Black Lives Matter printed on the back of their shirts.

Premier League clubs agreed unanimously that players would have Black Lives Matter on the back of their shirts instead of their names when the league restarted. United players' shirts will have the printing on the back of them for their first game against Tottenham on Friday.

The club are offering the service for fans to have the same words on the back of their shirts for £10, and have committed to donating all proceeds from any shirt printing to Kick it Out.

Richard Arnold, the club's managing director, said: “Manchester United has a long-standing commitment against racism and discrimination, both through our own campaigns and through support of external organisations working in this area.

“We wanted to take this from being a valuable message of support to real tangible help for the essential work that Kick It Out do in this area.”

The Premier League restarted on Wednesday and players from all four teams involved in the two opening games took a knee just after kick-off to make a stand against racism, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer backed his players taking similar action.

“We all know this [racism] shouldn't happen in 2020 and players, Premier League teams, we all make a stand and say enough is enough, that's good and I don't expect anything different,” Solskjaer said.

“I feel now maybe this time finally is changing and it's been on the agenda now for many many years, this issue of racism and we've had a couple of instances, talked about it, maybe forgotten but this time hopefully it will affect more people, leader of countries and decision makers but we all support the actions.”

Speaking about United’s decision to donate to Kick it Out, chair of the charity Sanjay Bhandari, said: “We are incredibly grateful for this support from Manchester United. There remains much to be done to combat discrimination and promote inclusion."

The Premier League resumed on Wednesday with a goalless draw between Aston Villa and Sheffield United, before Manchester City defeated Arsenal 3-0.

Liverpool loanee Taiwo Awoniyi is hopeful he can get to play for the Super Eagles as his career progresses.

The 22-year old on loan at Mainz, is yet to make the step into the senior national team having impressed at youth level.

He was part of the successful Golden Eaglets team that won the 2013 Under-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates with the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho, Isaac Success and Francis Uzoho now integrated into the senior team.

Awoniyi was also in the Flying Eagles team that lifted the 2015 African Under-20 Championship in Senegal.

"I think it is every player's dream to play for his national team," he told Tribalfootball.

"But still you can't control it and Nigeria is blessed with abundance of football talents everywhere.

Awoniyi admits he has not been in touch with coach Gernor Rohr and will keep working hard to impress the German tactician.

"No. I have never spoken with Gernot Rohr," he continued.

"That's why I'm a football player and have represented my country in all age grades national teams from the U17 to U23 teams.

"It is good for me to be working hard towards meeting that target."

Awoniyi has played 12 times for Mainz this season, scoring once which came in a 2-2 draw against Cologne at the Bundesliga restart.

He had a big scare last weekend when he suffered a Concussion after clashing with Felix Uduokhai in the game with Augsburg at Opel Arena. Awoniyi had to be substituted off in the 23rd minute with Karim Onisiwo replacing him.

The Ilorin-born player has already regained consciousness but was left out of the Mainz team that shocked Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday night, Jonathan Burkardt and Franco-Congolese striker Jean-Philippe Mateta (penalty) getting the goals.

"You just have to believe, in life everything is possible two more fight to win," Awoniyi posted on Instagram.

Mainz are five points clear of the relegation play-off spot and will wrap up their season at home to 17th-placed Werder Bremen this Saturday and away at Bayer Leverkusen at BayArena on June 27.

Jose Mourinho is frustrated he cannot call on Dele Alli for Tottenham's big clash with Manchester United on Friday.

England midfielder Alli must serve a one-match ban for a racially insensitive social media post he made in February, forcing him to miss Spurs' first game since the Premier League returned.

A video on Snapchat showed Alli in an airport mocking an Asian man in reference to coronavirus, before the lockdown. Alli said he videoed the man because he was coughing, not because of his ethnicity and admitted he made an "extremely poorly judged joke".

According to Mourinho, others have avoided punishment despite committing more serious misconduct during the pandemic.

Mourinho said in a news conference, held by video link on Thursday: "I feel very, very sorry that Dele is not playing. He is a player that works so, so hard during all this period and he's really frustrated that he cannot play the first match.

"I don't want to say much more than I don't think he deserves a one-match ban compared with wrong behaviours at much bigger dimensions that happened during this period without any consequences.”

The video posted by Alli showed him wearing a protective facemask in an airport and was entitled "Corona whattt, please listen with volume". It cut to the gentleman, who appeared to be unaware he was being filmed, before panning to a bottle of antiseptic handwash.

Underneath, a caption read: "This virus gunna have to be quicker than that to catch me."

The 24-year-old deleted the video and posted an apology to the Chinese social media network Weibo.

Mourinho, who is preparing to face his former club, can recall England captain Harry Kane after a long injury lay-off, and that may allay the blow of losing Alli.

Asked how Tottenham would shape up without Alli, Mourinho said: “How are we going to play? I’m not going to tell you.”

He said of his main striker: "Kane hasn't played football for more than six months, so again he is working extremely well. I can tell you no problem he is going to start the game.

"Does Harry have 90, 80, 70, 60 minutes in him? Only the game will tell us that. Is Harry on his top form? For him, I don't know. It's been around six months without a football match, but he works extremely well. He is an amazing professional and he's going to start tomorrow."

The latest round of coronavirus testing in the Premier League has found one positive case. 

A total of 1,541 players and staff from clubs were involved in the ninth round, staged across Monday and Tuesday of this week. 

The league announced on Thursday that one person tested positive for Covid-19 and they will now self-isolate for a period of seven days. As with all previous rounds of testing, the person was kept anonymous and the club they work for was not disclosed.

The English top-flight returned behind closed doors in the gap between those tests being carried out and the results being released, with two games taking place on Wednesday. 

After Aston Villa's 0-0 draw with Sheffield United, in which the visitors were controversially denied a clear goal at Villa Park, Manchester City beat Arsenal 3-0 at home. 

For the game between City and Arsenal, the only people allowed inside the 55,000-capacity Etihad Stadium were around 300 temperature-checked members of the media, club staff and security, who ensured the strict safety measures, such as face masks and social distancing, were adhered to at all times.

There was a reminder of just how much things of changed in the past three months before the game with a minute's silence for the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic while players' shirts were adorned with a blue heart-shaped logo to pay tribute to the NHS. 

"It’s weird, we missed the people," City manager Pep Guardiola admitted in a virtual press conference after the match. "Playing without people is strange, we have to do it right now, the government say we have to but we have to be careful, we cannot relax.

"We are tested twice a week, social distance with masks and we do all we can to be protected."

Since the first batch of testing between May 17 and 18, which yielded six positive tests from a sample size of 748, the highest return was four from 1,008 people from round three, which was held across May 25 and 26.

It is a better outcome than the most recent round of testing in the second-tier Championship, where on Wednesday it was announced eight people from six clubs have tested positive, three days before the league is scheduled to resume.

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 changed life as we know it and football has not been immune, with the beautiful game being ground to a halt across the world.

The game's administrators, from FIFA to continental confederations and national associations, worked together in an attempt salvage what they could of the 2019-20 season.

Space was made in the calendar with the postponement of the European Championship and Copa America until next year, which allowed leagues to restart in earnest in June. 

But there are other issues to contend with too, including the business of transfers.

The buying and selling of players during transfer windows is one of the most hotly anticipated processes of the sport, with clubs eager to boost their options or offload proverbial dead wood.

In these extraordinary circumstances, FIFA conceded that changes would have to be made to the normal schedule regarding transfer registration periods and contracts. 

So, with coronavirus-enforced delays in mind, when will the summer transfer window open? Goal brings you everything you need to know.

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When will the Premier League summer transfer window open?

The 2020 summer transfer window in England is expected to open on Sunday July 26, as soon as the Premier League season ends.

While there has been no official confirmation of the transfer window close date, UEFA has urged all member associations to adopt a harmonised closure on Monday October 5.

The English transfer window was originally set to open on June 10, closing on September 1, so it will effectively be pushed back a month.

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When will La Liga summer transfer window open?

In Spain, the summer transfer window should open when La Liga finishes, which means it will be on or after July 18.

As mentioned, UEFA's recommended date for closing the transfer window is October 5.

The registration period had previously been set to open on July 1, 2020, closing on September 1. 

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When will Serie A summer transfer window open?

Serie A will conclude the 2019-20 season on August 2, but the transfer window will not open in Italy until Tuesday September 1, which was around when the original window was due to close.

While there will be a gap between action ending and business allowed to officially take place, it is expected that a number of deals will be confirmed before the beginning of the window.

The transfer window will then close on October 5, in line with UEFA's recommendation.

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When will the Bundesliga summer transfer window open?

Considering the Bundesliga will conclude by the end of June, the summer transfer window for Germany could still open from July 1 and run until August 31 as normal.

Indeed, Chelsea confirmed that Timo Werner will join the Blues from RB Leipzig in July.

However, given the state of play across Europe, it remains unclear if the original window period will be observed and it is possible that Germany will fall into line with UEFA's suggestion to harmonise the close date.

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When will the Ligue 1 summer transfer window open?

Unlike Europe's other top leagues, Ligue 1 made a decision early to cut the 2019-20 season short and, thus, French football observed their previously agreed transfer window opening date of June 10.

It is restricted to domestic deals, but it seems highly unlikely that France will be able to keep its window open until October 5. Instead, the previously confirmed date of September 1 is likely to be observed.

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Mamelodi Sundowns defender Anele Ngcongca says he is still open to a move back to Europe, saying he is in contact with some people in Belgium.

The Masandawana right-back, however, says he wouldn’t like to see his children growing up in an unfamiliar environment because he is a family man now.

Ngcongca played for Belgian side RKC Genk for almost a decade and he explains that seeing his name in the list for the Belgian Pro League's team of the decade humbles him.

“To be honest, I can’t close that door. I’ve been in touch with people in Belgium, even those teams that are in the second division. They have been asking about my situation,” Ngcongca told IO L .

“I also saw an article in a Belgian website linking me with a move back to the country. If there’s something concrete, why not. As long as we will agree on terms.

“At my age, it is no longer only about me but also about my family. I have to start to plan for life after football. I’m currently working on a few projects. We play until a certain age and then what do you do next? The lockdown has offered me an opportunity to reflect.”

Although he recently extended his stay with the reigning Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions, Ngcongca says being loyal is something that defines his personality.

“I’ve only played for two teams in top-flight football because, in France, I was on loan. But they also wanted to give me another year. I like to be loyal. I prefer to settle in one place. If I look at my position, I believe two years [in Europe] will be fine, I’m not getting any younger,” he added.

“I’m a family man and there are kids involved. You don’t want to start another life in an unfamiliar environment.

“It’s been the second time now that I’ve been in the Team of the Decade. It is very humbling. A boy coming from Gugulethu being recognized abroad, it is something huge."

The experienced player has made 28 appearances across all competitions for Sundowns this season which has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic since last March.

Ngcongca, who was part of the Bafana Bafana squad at the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals, joined Masandawana from Genk in 2016 following a loan spell with the French side Troyes AC.

Jamie Vardy says he will not completely rule out a return to international football, but wants to see younger strikers given an opportunity with England before him.

Leicester City striker Vardy won 26 caps for his country, the last of which came in the 2018 World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia, after which he informed England manager Gareth Southgate that he wanted to focus on his club career.

The 33-year-old has remained one of the most feared strikers in the Premier League, scoring 19 goals in the 2019-20 campaign to top the scoring charts before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With Vardy in red-hot form and injury doubts over England forwards including Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, there was talk of an England recall for the Foxes striker ahead of the European Championships.

However the tournament has now been pushed back until the summer of 2021 due to Covid-19, meaning a return to the international fold for Vardy is now less likely.

Vardy says he has not completely shut the door on returning for England, but with several young England strikers - such as Chelsea's Tammy Abraham - breaking through, he feels the new generation should be given a shot before Southgate comes back to him.

He told The Athletic: “We’ve never totally closed the door, we made that clear. But there are a lot of really good, young England forwards out there and they’d benefit more — just say if I was there getting picked, I’m taking one of their places.

"I’ve definitely benefitted from getting a full summer, relaxing, just completely clearing your head. It just gives your body and your mind a complete shut-off.”

Having come through non-league football and having not played in the top-flight until he was 27, Vardy is now just one strike away from his 100th Premier League goal.

It looks likely that Vardy will reach the landmark with no fans to celebrate however, with the rest of the season to be played behind closed doors due to coronavirus social distancing measures.

“That will be strange,” he said. “But it’s not a normal situation that the whole world finds itself in. So you just have to try to be as positive as possible.”

Harry Kane will start for Tottenham against Manchester United in their first Premier League match following the coronavirus-enforced pause after recovering from a torn hamstring, Jose Mourinho has confirmed.

Kane, 26, suffered the injury in the 1-0 defeat at Southampton on New Year's Day, condemning him to a lengthy period on the sidelines.

Initially it was suggested he could potentially miss the rest of the season, but with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing a three-months suspension to the Premier League season, Spurs' chief goal threat will be able to play a major role in their final nine matches of the campaign.

Moussa Sissoko (knee) and Son Heung-min (broken arm) also suffered serious injuries before the lockdown, but they too are ready to return.

When speaking about team news in a virtual conference on Thursday, Mourinho said: "We have little things (injuries) but we are going to wait until tomorrow [before ruling them in or out].

"Of course [Japhet] Tanganga has a stress fracture for a few months now and of course he didn't recover during this period, and we have some little problems that we have to analyse before we make a decision.

"But the ones that had the surgeries, Kane, Son and Sissoko, these three they recovered and they are ready to play.

"Kane hasn't played football for more than six months, so again he is working extremely well. I can tell you no problem he is going to start the game.

"Does harry have 90, 80, 70, 60 minutes in him? Only the game will tell us that. Is Harry on his top form? For him, I don't know. It's been around six months without a football match, but he works extremely well. He is an amazing professional and he's going to start tomorrow."

Mourinho was less certain about Giovani Lo Celso's prospects, however, as the Argentina international sustained an injury just before the lockdown, and regulations prevented him getting the treatment he required.

"I consider Gio one of the victims of the rules and one of the victims of the protocols, because he was injured in the end of the period before coronavirus," Mourinho said.

"He was in very bad condition in the last three or four matches. He played for five or 10 minutes against Burnley, he wasn't ready for Leipzig.

"Because of the rules, his injury isn't one in need of surgery, it needed daily treatment and close contacts with physios and fitness coaches, but that was not possible for about two months, he was injured and he couldn't recover from it.

"So, when the training ground opened and he started treatment. It was not enough to have him 100 per cent fit - only in the past days was he training with the team.

"Available for tomorrow? Yes, I think so, but we will test if he is going to play 90 minutes, start the game or not. It was a difficult process for him."

The Friday clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could prove pivotal for both teams' Champions League aspirations.

Spurs, who are eighth, go into the match four points adrift of fifth-placed United, who will be looking to go level with fourth-place Chelsea, at least until Sunday, with a victory.

After making the best-ever start to a season by a club in Europe’s top five leagues in 2019-20, Liverpool were on a relentless march towards the Premier League title.

But Jurgen Klopp's side were struck a cruel blow by the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, with real concerns that the Premier League could be cancelled early.

Luckily for the Reds and their supporters, who are hoping to end decades of disappointment, the Premier League restarted in June after three months of no games, meaning the fight continues for silverware.

But when can Liverpool actually win the league? Goal takes a look.

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When can Liverpool win the Premier League?

Liverpool need six more points to secure the Premier League title, which translates into two wins. Alternatively, a Liverpool win and a loss for Manchester City will be sufficient.

Should the Reds beat Everton in the Merseyside derby on June 21, they have a chance to win the title at Anfield on June 24 when they play Crystal Palace.

They could also be crowned champions on June 22 if they beat Everton and Man City lose their game against Burnley.

Manchester United's title-winning 2001 Premier League victory on April 14, 2001 with five games to spare is the fastest in the competition's history.

Due to postponements, Liverpool cannot now beat Manchester United's record, but they can still win the title with more games to spare.

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What are Liverpool's remaining fixtures?

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Who is the fastest side to win the Premier League title?

Manchester United hold the record for the fastest team to win the Premier League. They won the 2000-01 Premier League title on April 14, 2001 with five games left to play.

Pep Guardiola's 'Centurion' squad won the 2017-18 Premier League title with five games left to spare as well. They missed the opportunity to surpass the record set by their city rivals when they lost the Manchester derby in April 3-2.

The Red Devils, too, won the 2000 Premier League in esteemed fashion, with four games to play.

Arsenal’s Invincibles also won with four games to spare, racking up 90 points in the 2003-04 season to become the first and only side to be crowned Premier League champions without losing a single game.

Man Utd clinched the 2013 title once again with four extra when they sealed the title after defeating Aston Villa on April 28. 

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Eric Garcia has been released from hospital after a horrible collision with team-mate Ederson in Manchester City's 3-0 victory over Arsenal on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old was crashed into by the Brazilian goalkeeper late in the match and received several minutes of treatment on the pitch before he was carried off on a stretcher and in a neck brace while receiving oxygen.

Ederson tweeted a reassuring picture of the pair together on Thursday after City boss Pep Guardiola had admitted he was concerned about Garcia in a virtual press conference after the game.

"He is conscious, but he is going to be tested tonight because a kick in the head is always so dangerous," he said.

Ederson collided with the Spanish defender when he was completing a clearance in the 80th minute, with City finishing the game with 10 men having already used all five substitutes.

But as well as the Brazilian goalkeeper's tweet, City have also confirmed Garcia has been released from hospital and that he'll be monitored in the coming days.

Their statement read: "Eric Garcia has been released from hospital after suffering an injury during last night’s Premier League win over Arsenal.

"Eric will be monitored in the coming days, ahead of a return to training and competitive action. Everyone at City wishes Eric a speedy recovery."

Garcia was making just his third Premier League start for the club and was surprisingly picked ahead of Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi, who were on the bench, while John Stones was left out of the squad altogether.

But Guardiola was impressed by his performance as he and centre-back partner Aymeric Laporte restricted the Gunners to few chances.

"Eric came back incredibly well," the City boss added. "He is so intelligent to guide the line. It was not easy to play against [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang. He is training really well and we tried to work with [coaches] Juanma [Lillo] and Rodolfo [Borrell] in this period.

"He understands perfectly well. This season, especially in the winter time, he always played good. He doesn’t make mistakes. He is always focused.

"In this game, we knew we were playing dynamic players. He understands the position and the movement. Against Burnley, for example, they play more long balls and we might need another kind of player.

"For this game, we thought he was the right guy to play alongside Laporte and they played really good."

City are back in action against Burnley on Monday night and Guardiola has hinted at rotating his line-up with the fear of muscle strains following the quick return after the Premier League was shut down by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has announced that tweaks have been made to the laws of the game heading into the 2020-21 season, with perhaps the most interesting being to what should and should not be called as a handball offence in the build-up to a goal.

At present, video assistant referees (VAR) will disallow a goal and pull back play for a free-kick if any attacking player is deemed to have touched the ball with their hand or arm in the build-up, by accident or otherwise, leading to teams feeling hard done by if an individual gets in the way through no fault of their own.

For clarity, a handball offence is characterised by the ball touching anywhere from the tip of a player's fingers to their upper arm, directly in line with the bottom of the armpit – essentially meaning anything below the shoulder is a foul.

A plethora of sides have seen goals chopped off in recent times due to accidental handballs, but the new rules for the upcoming season will give attacking sides more leeway.

A statement from the IFAB reads: “‘Accidental’ handball by an attacking player (or team-mate) is only penalised if it occurs ‘immediately’ before a goal or clear goal-scoring opportunity.

“If an attacking player accidentally touches the ball with their hand or arm and the ball then goes to another attacking player and the attacking team immediately scores, this is a handball offence.

“It is not an offence if, after an accidental handball, the ball travels some distance (pass or dribble) and/or there are several passes before the goal or goal-scoring opportunity.”

Other updates to the laws of the game include goalposts and crossbars, which can now be a combination of the four basic approved shapes: square, rectangular, round or elliptical - provided they are not dangerous.

Additionally, goalkeepers will not be penalised for prematurely coming off their line during penalty kicks provided the kick taker misses or sees their shot rebound back into play - assuming the keeper is not deemed to have affected the kick taker.

Should a goalkeeper be deemed to have committed an offence on a penalty kick, they will receive a warning for the first and a yellow card for any following offences.

Former Brazil striker and Real Valladolid majority shareholder Ronaldo has named Paris-Saint Germain forward Kylian Mbappe as his dream signing for the Liga side.

The 2002 World Cup winner bought a 51 per cent stake in the Spanish side in 2018 and has seen them return to the top flight under his ownership, while he harbours dreams of attracting the world's best talent to the club.

Ronaldo, who played for some of the world's best club teams in his career, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter and Milan, picked out a fellow world champion as his ideal signing, commenting that the French forward has similar attributes to those he had at the peak of his powers.

Asked at a media event sponsored by Santander Bank who he would sign for Valladolid if he had Madrid's budget, Ronaldo said: "I would sign Mbappe, he is the one who most reminds me of me and my playing times."

Ronaldo was also asked to name his picks for the best players of all time. The Brazilian resisted the temptation to include himself on the list, instead picking the two leading forwards currently playing, alongside two fellow South Americans who frequently appear on all time great selections.

He said: “For me, in the classification of the best in history, the four names would be Pele, Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, they are the top four in the history of football”.

Ronaldo also gave his views on several current forwards who could be on the move this summer, including Erling Haaland, who has been frequently linked with Real Madrid.

The former Blancos forward confirmed he is an admirer of the Borussia Dortmund striker, but admitted a move to Santiago Bernabeu may not be his best option at present, given the presence of Karim Benzema in the Liga giants' front line.

He said: "Haaland is a great player, he is still young and has had a pretty good year with many goals, we will see how he ends it. Surely big teams are going to be watching, but Real Madrid have good players, like Benzema who scores goals every Sunday."

The former Inter striker also hinted Valladolid could offer a new start for Alexis Sanchez, who has struggled to impress on loan at San Siro this season after being sent to Italy following a dismal spell at Manchester United.

Ronaldo feels the Chilean will come good eventually, but said: "Alexis Sanchez has triumphed wherever he has gone but if he does not triumph at Inter, at Valladolid we open the doors for him to be with us."

Busoga United chair Diana Nyago has claimed the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) erred after cancelling the Premier League without consultation with the clubs.

Nyago says there was a need for Fufa to get to know what the clubs thought on matters for the season's cancellation as they are the primary stakeholders in the football industry.

“Fufa was meant to come to us and inform and involve us. I mean, we are not a small stakeholder; we are the people playing in the league, we are actually the league,” Nyago told Daily Monitor.

“You are making a decision on ending the league, instead, you prefer calling the media, this means, you have reduced us to the same level with the masses out there. We were meant to get this information before it went to the public.

“We would not have stopped them, because Fufa has that mandate to stop the league during such crises. This is about the breakdown in communication.”

Nyago, who has been a great critic of Fufa under Moses Magogo on various matters concerning the Uganda Premier League (UPL), says she would not be worried if her club is targeted for relegation because of her stand.

“Of course, it [being targeted for relegation] does not worry me at all,” Nyago continued.

“You want to eliminate me who has a smaller problem, have you solved your bigger problem? At the end of the day, I’m off but you will remain with a very big burden so targeting clubs is not a solution.

“They should make such clubs partners instead because they help you to identify your weaknesses.”

The Busoga United official further explained why they objected to an earlier league consultative meeting which had been convened by Fufa.

“We said if it is club licensing meeting, it’s supposed to be done by the club CEOs, and if it’s the reforms, then that’s for us the club chairpersons, and we can’t do the two items in the same meeting,” Nyoga added.

“There were supposed to be two meetings, one for the CEOs and the other to handle issues of the reforms of the league.”

On whether Busoga United were getting a financial boost from the regional kingdom, the official answered that is not the case at all.

“But the club is not called Busoga Kingdom United, it’s Busoga United FC,” she said.

“I don’t think to change the name gave us an attachment to the kingdom, like when you go down the market here, you will find a mall called Busoga Mall, is it attached to the kingdom? No.

“So, the name just gave us an attachment to Busoga, and, to me, Busoga kingdom is different from Busoga United.”

Mesut Ozil appeared to show he is still completely committed to Arsenal after posting an image of him clutching the Gunners badge accompanied by the words "no matter what".

The Gunners midfielder was absent from the matchday squad for his side's 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City on Wednesday, with Mikel Arteta having revealed he was left out due to tactical reasons.

Having featured heavily since Arteta's appointment as head coach in December 2019, it was something of a surprise to not see the German named as part of Arsenal's 20-man travelling squad.

The north Londoners suffered a double injury blow in the first half - with both Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari forced off injured - before Raheem Sterling eventually gave the hosts the lead at the Etihad Stadium.

That came about largely because of an error by Mari's replacement David Luiz, with the centre-back - whose contract expires with the Gunners at the end of June - failing to clear to allow the England winger to slam home.

It went from bad to worse for Luiz, with the Brazilian then sent off for pulling back Riyad Mahrez. Kevin De Bruyne netted the resulting spot-kick before Phil Foden added a third goal to make sure of the points.

Arteta was forced to field questions about Luiz's future, as well as his decision to drop Ozil, in his post-match media briefings after what was a disappointing display from the Gunners that dented their hopes of finishing in the top four.

Less than a day after the event, Ozil has now responded on social media as he posted an image that shows him proudly clutching the club badge on his shirt, along with the text "No matter what...".

The former Real Madrid playmaker is the highest earner at Emirates Stadium on a deal worth around £350,000 ($430,000) per week, while he's contracted to the club until 2021.

Arteta would be willing to let Ozil leave in the summer although the club is well aware that he is determined to stay put and see out his contract, with his high wages a deterrent for any potentially interested parties.

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council member Frederick Acheampong has called on veteran coach J.E Sarpong to substantiate claims of substance abuse by players on the domestic scene.

Sarpong, who has worked with Asante Kotoko, Aduana Stars, Liberty Professionals and Ebusua Dwarfs, alleged 60 per cent of Ghanaian players smoke marijuana, popularly known as weed, and went on to provide instances where he personally aided in obtaining the substance.

The claims have generated huge debate, especially in media circles.

“It’s a serious matter because some of these comments are serious and he can’t make such comments without any proof because I think it’s a serious matter and he needs to prove it with evidence,” Frederick Acheampong told Starr Sports.

“Apart from the football aspect, he can’t just make those comments and go free.

"He needs to substantiate or back his claims with evidence, numbers, statistics, figures because apart from the fact that it may amount to substance abuse in the football circles, it’s even illegal to trade in marijuana in the country, so where do the players get them to buy?"

Currently, players on the local scene are not tested for substance abuse.

Former Hearts of Oak and Kaizer Chiefs striker Louis Agyemang expressed agreement with Sarpong's claims.

Berekum Chelsea forward Kofi Owusu is the latest player to speak on the topic.

“With the weed-smoking issue coach J.E Sarpong said, in some ways I can say it is true because he has been in the system for a very long time and knows what he is talking about," Owusu told Nkunim FM.

"And again looking at his age too, I do not think he will be saying what is not true.”

Sarpong was also once the assistant coach of Ghana's U23 side.

"I can say that 60% of the Ghanaian players - both in the Premier and the Division One Leagues - smoke marijuana," Sarpong told Angel FM.

“I have coached most of them but of course we have something called a coach-player relationship.

"There was a match between Accra Great Olympics and Hearts of Oak. One player came to me and said I should buy him ‘weed’ and we will win the match.

"I later noticed that he was not the only person, he was sent by his colleagues. I told him, I can’t buy for him, so I gave him the money and in that game he was the man of the match. He gave the assist for our winning goal.

"It is a bad practice but if it will win the match [for me], I don’t mind. If my team wins the match, I take my winning bonus [as a coach] and I'm gone.

“What I will do for my team to win is what is important."

Veteran Ghana attacker Yahaya Mohammed, currently the second top scorer in the Ghana Premier League and on the books of Aduana Stars, has expressed his disappointment in the coach's claims and called for an apology. 

Former Italy and Juventus striker Luca Toni has called out Cristiano Ronaldo for his poor performance in the Bianconeri's Coppa Italia loss to Napoli on Wednesday night, stating that the Portuguese looked deeply “average” and that he “couldn't even dribble”.

Ronaldo played 90 minutes of the showpiece clash at Stadio Olimpico but failed to find the net in what was a largely uninspiring performance from both sides.

Indeed, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner mustered only one shot on target and was unable to take a spot-kick in the decisive penalty shoot-out, with Paulo Dybala and Danilo both fluffing their lines early on before Ronaldo had a chance to beat Alex Meret from 12 yards.

Toni, an Italian World Cup winner and goalscoring icon, felt that the Portugal captain was lacking his usual sharpness and was unable to inspire the Serie A champions to cup glory as a result.

“I saw the a whole Juventus team in difficulty, even Cristiano Ronaldo, who looked like an average player in what was a very slow match,” 43-year-old Toni told Rai Sport after the clash.

“You expect a big performance from him but he looked like he was experiencing physical difficulties – he couldn't even dribble a man.

“Buffon was the best player on the pitch. I liked Douglas Costa a lot too, but Sarri only let him play 60 minutes. [Douglas] Costa and [Juan] Cuadrado were the only ones able to beat their man because at the moment Ronaldo is struggling to dribble.”

Wednesday's loss marks the only time in Ronaldo's career that he has lost two successive finals, having been defeated by Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana at the tail end of 2019.

Regardless, Ronaldo's sister took to Instagram after the match to stick up for her brother, stating that he can't always be expected to win matches on his own.

She said: “What else can you do? It is what it is and my darling can't work miracles alone. I can't understand how they played like that. Anyway, keep your head up. You can't do more, my king.”

This year's Coppa Italia was the first in 11 years to be decided by a penalty shootout, and is the sixth time Napoli have lifted the trophy in their history - only four teams have won it more often. 

Football is back. After 100 days, the Premier League returned on Wednesday with Sheffield United vs Aston Villa and Manchester City vs Arsenal. The major subplot in the latter was Mikel Arteta returning to face old club and mentor Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

In a way, that fixture served as a prelude to Friday night’s encounter between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, a game inundated with subplots of its own. The major one, of course, being Jose Mourinho welcoming his old side to his new home in North London.

Somewhat buried beneath that, from an African perspective at least, is the satisfaction of seeing Odion Ighalo still in a Man United shirt. The Nigerian, who turned 31 on Tuesday, was hours from seeing a dream spell at Old Trafford end as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side couldn’t reach an agreement with Shanghai Shenhua over an extension to his initial four-month loan which was due to expire on May 31.

However, at the very death in what seemed like one of those dramatic moments on television, it was announced both sides had struck a deal. As it is, the boyhood United fan will live his dream for another eight months till January 2021.

In a sense, it seems fitting that Ighalo’s potential first appearance since the extension was confirmed is against Spurs, the club he could have joined instead on Deadline Day. It’s no longer news that Mourinho, dealing with injuries to Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, attempted to bring the Nigerian frontman to north London but the ex-Watford man opted for Solskjaer’s side instead.

Sentiments aside, it seemed odd at the time that the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer chose Old Trafford over the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium owing to the likelihood of getting more playing time in London.

Be that as it may, football’s suspension and subsequent returns for Kane and Son mean he probably won’t have enjoyed a sustained period as the default frontman for the two-time Champions League winner – although, there was no way events could have been predicted at the time.

Months after snubbing the Lilywhites, Ighalo could now play against them, in an attempt to put a dent in their hopes to play in next season’s Champions League.

‘What a difference a few months make’ could be the theme if the home side manages to win on Friday night. Despite being four points behind the visitors from Manchester, the disparity in the mood in both camps before March 15’s encounter indicated the Red Devils were favourites for all three points, a result that may realistically have ended the London side’s top four hopes, if not mathematically.

Ighalo and co. were on an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions, including 2-0 wins over Chelsea and fierce rivals Manchester City, featuring nine clean sheets and two goals conceded. Their tails were up and a win at a Spurs side winless in six on the trot and seemingly running on empty was expected.

The return of their top hitters, though, means Tottenham have been handed a huge lifeline in saving what seemed like a failed season in March, starting with a huge fixture against a side they’re in direct competition with for a European spot.

While Ighalo may not feature in the encounter and, as a matter of fact for a significant portion of what’s left in the Premier League this term, Serge Aurier will be an important figure for Spurs and Mourinho for the final nine gameweeks.

The perception of the Ivory Coast captain in England suggests the right-back can be a firebrand and unreliable in equal measure. Observers would point to mistakes in losses at home to Chelsea in December and away at RB Leipzig in March as Exhibit A to back up the conviction that he cannot be relied upon, while he ran foul of social distancing guidelines twice in the last two months to add to a seemingly endless rap sheet.

Notwithstanding, the notion Aurier doesn’t contribute enough on the pitch as is often argued couldn’t be more misguided.

The right-back’s importance to Spurs’ attack since Mourinho took charge in November is well documented, and how he serves as an auxiliary winger when they attack has proved useful going forward. His four assists are bettered by Son (seven) while he sits fifth for goal contributions in the entire side.

Also, 1.2 key passes per game is third behind the South Korean star (1.5) and January signing Steven Bergwijn (1.4), while the West African’s four clear-cut chances created is also third-best in the side behind Son and Dele Alli, who have set up 10 and six respectively.

Aurier’s underlying defensive numbers are also encouraging: he’s well ahead of Jan Vertonghen for tackles per game (3.1 to 2.1) and only beaten by the Belgian centre-back for interceptions per match (1.6 to 1.5).

The defender’s statistics demonstrate that while there remains room for improvement, the Ivorian is far from the liability he's been labelled as by the media.

For Ighalo, minutes may be infrequent after Project Restart becomes a reality, still, as long as he remains a Red Devil, there’ll always be a possibility of that standout moment the striker craves.

As for Aurier, the full-back’s case was always built on not judging him amid the team’s malaise but until he could be utilised alongside a healthy squad.

With Spurs and Mourinho seemingly beneficiaries of the pandemic that brought the sport to its knees, the much-maligned Ivorian can demonstrate why the criticism thrown at him is unwarranted.