Looking for Soccer News?

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has suspended all friendly matches until they meet all clubs on the matter.

Most Tanzania Mainland league teams are preparing for the restart on June 13. Reports have it the federation wants to set the record straight regarding fans who attend matches.

On Monday, hundreds of fans had turned out, amidst Covid-19 pandemic, to watch the games without protective gear and Goal understands it is what the federation want to discuss with the clubs.

"The TFF has suspended all the friendly matches effective immediately until it meets all the clubs," read a statement signed by TFF Communications Officer Cliford Ndimbo and obtained by Goal.

"No friendly game will be played without permission from the TFF. Tomorrow [Tuesday], TFF will meet Simba SC, Young Africans SC, Azam FC, KMC and Trans Camp."

The federation went on to hint on the agenda of the meeting.

"TFF has been insisting on the importance of clubs following the guidelines given by the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children and that of Communication, Sports... on how to protect ourselves from Covid-19," the statement added.

On Monday, Wekundu wa Msimbazi played two friendly matches, against Trans Camp and KMC, winning 4-2 and 3-1 respectively.

In the first match, forward Deo Kanda was the first to strike for the Msimbazi-based side in the third minute.

Gerson Fraga scored the second for Sven Vandenbroeck's charges in the 15th minute before Tairone Santos added the third goal of the encounter two minutes after Fraga's strike.

Simba did not add a fourth goal until after the first half ended but they also could not keep Transit Camp at bay, as their opponents reduced the deficit in the first minute of added time courtesy of Hamadi Habibu.

In the 46th minute, Meddie Kagere added his name onto the scoresheet as he stretched Simba's lead further. Transit Camp answered back in the 64th minute from Nisile Kisimba's strike but their resurgence did not deny Simba a convincing win.

Against KMC, captain John Bocco scored a brace with Ibrahim Ajibu getting the third for the hosts while the visitors scored what turned out to be the consolation courtesy of Charles Ilanfya.

Cape Town City have announced the departure of one of their midfielders, Ronald Putsche.

The Austrian player has seen limited game time this season having made only 10 appearances in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and scored once.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the indefinite suspension of the current season since March 2020 and Putsche has joined a list of players, who have decided to leave PSL clubs for Europe in recent times.

Dean Furman, Boy De Jong and Simon Murray have all left PSL clubs and returned to Europe in the last three months.

City released the following statement on Tuesday morning indicating that Putsche has left the Western Cape-based side.

"Roland Putsche leaves City after a decorated four years at the club."

"Roli will be returning home to Europe, leaving a lasting legacy on the success story of Cape Town City."

"A true club legend, until we meet again Roli," a club statement read.

Putsche joined City from Austrian Bundesliga club Wolfsberger AC ahead of the 2016/17 campaign.

His four-year spell with the Citizens has proved to be a success having helped the team clinch two major trophies.

The lanky player lifted the 2016 Telkom Knockout Cup in his first season with the Mother City side - playing all four matches in the tournament.

Putsche also helped City clinch the 2018 MTN8 under the guidance of Benni McCarthy with the team having lost to SuperSport United in the 2017 final.

His consistent displays reportedly attracted interest from unnamed overseas clubs during the 2018/19 season.

However, the Citizens managed to retain his services and he helped the team secure a top-four finish on the PSL standings.

The current campaign has seen Putsche struggle with injuries and he fell out of favour under City's Dutch coach Jan Olde Riekerink.

Thabo Nodada and Mduduzi Mdantsane have been preferred ahead of Putsche in midfield with the 29-year-old player forced to settle for a place on the bench.

It remains to be seen whether Putsche will return to his former side, Wolfsberger where he spent four seasons before moving to City.

Former India international Renedy Singh has urged footballers in India to stay fit during the lockdown period in the country. 

After the Coronavirus pandemic brought the football world to a standstill in March, India has also halted all sporting activities. Renedy believes players should focus on individual training while staying at home. 

"Players haven't played for three-four months so they become unfit. They have to keep playing, they play all around the year. They usually don't have rest, except once a week. But due to the pandemic, for the last three months, players are unable to go to the ground and train properly. People who live in villages, at least they can go out and train, but those in cities, it is very difficult for them," he told Goal. 

He added, "We cannot relax. What coaches do is, we have players in our academy (Classic Football Academy) here - we didn't think of going out in the first month (of lockdown). Now, what we try to do is, we sort it out because people in villages can go out and do running.

"We are trying to create a training program so that they can improve their fitness and technique. We are trying as much as possible to help them do individual training. In India, we don't have many players who are tactically sound so it is important for them to train. That is how you develop their technique. If you have a wall and a ball, you can pass and receive the practice your touches. "

Renedy believes that the players can use the little space they have at their homes to put their technical training into use. 

"We can't play games but we have to do individual training. We have to improve our technique, we cannot just stay at home. Coaches have to think about the team so this is the time to think about individual training. If you don't train every single day. you are losing around 36,000 touches of the ball in a month. People have to keep working. If they can find a small space at home, they can improve their fitness so when players come back, they come back (in better shape)."

He has called on Indian footballers to take a leaf out of Cristiano Ronaldo's book regarding fitness during the lockdown. 

"I was reading about Ronaldo - how everyone thought his fitness levels would drop when he returns to training but he came back stronger. That is what professionalism is all about. We have to teach that to the younger lot."
 

The Indian Super League (ISL) has seen some international icons take the field during the twilight of their career. Playing in a physically demanding league is a big task which requires great commitment and luck.

However, some attributes of a player such as an eye for a pass or accurate finishing rarely fades with time. Irish goal-scoring legend Robbie Keane was a prime example of the latter. But unfortunately, he was unlucky to spend a sizable term of his career with ATK injured.

Keane joined the then two-time champions at the beginning of the 2017-18 season. The forward who is considered a legend with Ireland and with Tottenham at the club level had the fans riding high on expectations with the announcement.

With 68 goals from 148 appearances, the striker finished his career as the all-time leading goal-scorer of the Republic of Ireland national team. He was known for his prolificacy in front of goal and incredible passion for the sport.

Goal caught up with ATK winger Jayesh Rane who shared a dressing room with the Irish star during the 2017-18 season. The 27-year-old was impressed by his finishing, labelling him the best finisher he has played with.

“We got to learn a lot from him. He was very good at finishing, so he used to teach us about that. When he became the interim coach, he taught us a lot about his way of playing.

“His finishing was top class. Among the players I’ve played with, I’ve never seen anyone with finishing as good as his,” he said.

ATK finished ninth in the 2017-18 season with just four wins in 18 games. But Jayesh believes things could have been vastly different had Keane been fit throughout the season. The forward played just nine games, with injury forcing him out of the remaining fixtures. Yet, Keane managed to score six goals.

“He is always fit. I follow him on Instagram, and he is always doing something or the other. He is playing somewhere or training at home or doing something. We were unlucky that he was injured when he was with us. Or else, it could have been a different result. He played only nine games but scored six goals. If we had him for the full season, it would have made a big difference,” he explained.

Keane took over as the player-manager at the end of the 2017-18 ISL season ahead of the 2018 Super Cup. ATK could not get past the last-16 in that tournament and Keane retired from professional football soon after.

He then went on to become the assistant manager of the Irish national team and is currently Jonathan Woodgate’s assistant at EFL Championship side Middlesbrough.

Meanwhile, Rane stayed at ATK for the subsequent seasons and recently played a key role in their third ISL title.

Football Players' Association of India (FPAI) president Renedy Singh has asked Indian clubs not to take advantage of the Coronavirus pandemic and deny players their salaries.

The former India international is particularly worried about the situation of inexperienced footballers who face the possibility of not getting their dues cleared.

Renedy told Goal, "Now, due to the pandemic, money-wise, everything is getting difficult everywhere. We have talked to a few players. A few players are really worried if they would get their money or not. Once they sign a contract, players should keep a copy of the contract with them. This is for the young players. There are a few clubs who can play games (with that situation). Things are better and different from how it was during our playing career."

While the former East Bengal star accepts that the clubs may find it difficult to pay their players on time due to the pandemic, he expects the teams to sort out their finances sooner rather than later. 

"Payments may be delayed but we have to make sure that they get paid. They have families to look after. We request the players to stay calm. I am sure the clubs will respect contracts but if they don't, then there is the AIFF and the FIFA to look after. It is hard for everyone.

"Once they sign a contract, payments may be delayed, they may be a delay for a few months due to the pandemic but the contract should be respected. When there is a contract, you have to pay - there is no question about that," he concluded. 

Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix will learn a lot from Diego Simeone and has natural talent much like Bernardo Silva, according to Nuno Gomes.

Joao Felix joined Atletico from Benfica for a reported €120 million (£107m/$135m) last year , but has struggled to live up to the price tag in his first season at the La Liga club.

The 20-year-old has scored six goals and provided three assists in 28 games for Atletico, but his season has been hampered by several injuries.

Portugal great Gomes said his compatriot would learn plenty from Simeone, while comparing his talent to Manchester City star Silva.

"Joao Felix, first of all, is also a player that I admire a lot and comparing to Bernardo Silva, they have the same situation in terms of natural talent," he told Stats Perform News.

"The things look very easy for them. In regards of his season in Atletico Madrid, I remember that he started very well, he started the season very, very well, the pre-season he scored a lot of goals and then he suffered a small injury that put him out for a couple of weeks.

"I believe this experience, this first year allows him also to grow in terms of his style of play because with the ball, he's a top talent, he always wants to go to the goal, he has always the eyes on the goal, the way that he receives the ball looking already to the offensive plays so in terms of what he learned being coached by a coach like Simeone, I think it's very good for him.

"Simeone will give him things that he never experienced because he used to play a lot of offensive game and now he has to learn how to defend better, how to be a part of a team because he grew up in an environment that things were very easy for him. When you have difficult situations in front of you, you have to work harder in order to surpass those difficulties so I believe he will grow a lot with Simeone."

Atletico Madrid will resume their La Liga campaign away to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, with Joao Felix suspended.

Paulo Dybala admitted it would be "very nice" to play for Barcelona as the star attacker said he was still waiting for a contract renewal at Juventus.

Dybala, 26, was enjoying a fine season before it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, having been linked with a move from Turin last year.

The Argentina international is reportedly set to extend his stay at Juve, where he is contracted until 2022.

But Dybala said it would be nice to reunite with international team-mate Lionel Messi at Barcelona.

"The truth is that Barcelona is huge team worldwide and with Messi there even bigger," he told CNN.

"It would be very nice, but Juventus is also an incredible club, very big, full of history, where there are currently great players.

"There's enough quality here to make two teams and the chance to play with [Gianluigi] Buffon and Cristiano Ronaldo, who make the club even bigger."

While a move to Barcelona could be of interest, Dybala has been reported to be close to an extension at Juventus.

But Dybala, who has scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in 34 games this season, said he was still waiting.

"For now there is nothing, really. I have a year and a half left on my contract, which is not much, and I understand that with all this that has happened [coronavirus] it isn't easy for the club, but other players have also renewed, so we are here waiting," he said.

"Obviously I am a player of this club and I am happy to be here. People love me very much and I love the people very much. I have great appreciation for the club and the people who are here, I have a good relationship with my president and surely at some point they will come to chat – or maybe not, I don't know.

"At some point maybe there may be some possible renewal, but it depends on Juventus."

Serie A leaders Juventus are set to resume their league campaign on June 22 with a trip to Bologna - as they hold a one-point lead over second-placed Lazio.

Leading sports marketing Company, Integral and Family and Football have announced a new joint venture partnership focused on augmenting the level of football talent identification, development, and management, on the African continent.

After almost a year of planning and working, Integral, the leading African sport management company, now enhances its service offering by adding comprehensive professional talent management services to its suite of services, having sealed this strategic alliance with one of the most prominent global football agencies, Family and Football.

Family & Football was founded by Dr. Erkut Sogut, a lawyer and registered FA intermediary, and has a foothold in many locations across the globe. The agency came into prominence by negotiating one of the most lucrative player contracts in Premier League history for Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil whom it also represents. The joint venture partnership is a landmark achievement for Integral’s football division and the experience of Family & Football will assist the company in providing quality, first-class representation to the flood of football talent dotted all over Africa.

Earlier in the year, Integral hosted Dr. Erkut Sogut when he visited Nigeria with his close friend and associate Misha Sher, VP Sport & Entertainment at Mediacom, who played a crucial role in forming the relationship between both companies.

“Nigeria, Africa and Integral are a strategic partner for us. We believe in their potential. And with Integral we will showcase African footballers in a different way because they deserve it,” Sogut commented on the pact.

“The continent deserves it. It has some of the best talents I have ever seen like Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu, and many more like them. But our ties extend beyond football.

“I am passionate about education and I see the quality of people here; desirous of learning, of leaving a positive impact in the world. So together (with Integral) we will support them with our work.”

On his part Integral’s Managing Director Abimbola Ilo expressed his delight on the joint venture.

“We are extremely excited to be working fully now with Erkut and his team, joining forces together to become an even more dominant force in football representation, management and player trading.,” said Ilo.

“Importantly the scope of the joint venture extends beyond just the representation side of things and involves education and charity too which are equally important to us.”

Raheem Sterling says that he believes it is vital for more minority coaches to be given the chance at the highest level as both managers and executives as discussions surrounding race in society continue.

Protests remain ongoing in the aftermath of the killing of American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Those protests, which began in America, have moved worldwide in recent days with thousands turning out for anti-racism marches.

Sterling has long been outspoken regarding the intersection between race and football, with the Manchester City star calling racism "a disease" that is the most important problem society faces in modern times.

The England winger pointed to four former England stars: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole. Gerrard and Lampard are currently manager historic clubs in Rangers and Chelsea, respectively.

Meanwhile, Campbell has managed only at the lower-league level with both Macclesfield and Southend while Cole is currently in charge of Chelsea's U-15s.

Pointing to that fact, Sterling says that black, Asian and minority ethnic coaches, executives and other staff members are not given the same chances as their white counterparts, leading to a disconnect between those in charge and those seeking to implement change.

"The coaching staff that you see around football clubs: there's Steven Gerrard, your Frank Lampards, your Sol Campbells and your Ashley Coles. All had great careers, all played for England," Sterling told the BBC.

"At the same time, they've all respectfully done their coaching badges to coach at the highest level and the two that haven't been given the right opportunities are the two black former players.

"The change is being able to speak to people in Parliament, people at the hierarchy at my football club, football clubs across the country, people at the national team of England, to implement change and give equal chances to not just black coaches but also different ethnicities.

"Give black coaches, not just coaches but people in their respective fields, the right opportunity. I feel like that's what's lacking here, it's not just taking the knee, it is about giving people the chance they deserve.

"There's something like 500 players in the Premier League and a third of them are black and we have no representation of us in the hierarchy, no representation of us in the coaching staffs. There's not a lot of faces that we can relate to and have conversations with."

He added: "When there's someone from a black background I can go to in the FA with a problem I have within the club, that will be when I know change is happening and not just in my field, also in Parliament.

"Once we do see those numbers shifting, that's when I'll be happy and the people will be happy."

In 2018, the FA found that 5 per cent of the federation's leadership roles and 13 per cent of England coaching staff roles were filled by people from a minority background.

Additionally, the FA set targets of 11 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, for 2021 as the federation looked to increase diversity across the organization.

Sterling, meanwhile, says its important for these conversations to continue going forward, even after the worldwide protests die down.

"The protest is a great starting point, to make your voice be heard," he said. "But just protesting alone is not going to make a change in this country."

He added: "It's how we move on from here. It's about highlighting things, the society that needs changing, and then acting upon it. We've done a lot of talking, and it's time now to act."

Lisbon is supposedly being considered as a potential location for all remaining 2019-20 Champions League matches and Portugal great Nuno Gomes believes the city would be a "good solution".

The coronavirus pandemic brought top-level sport in Europe to a halt, with the final stages of the Champions League and Europa League pushed back indefinitely.

UEFA wants to complete both competitions once domestic leagues have been concluded, meaning the remaining fixtures could potentially resume in August.

Last week, reports began to emerge suggesting Istanbul would be unable to cover the cost of hosting the Champions League final without supporters being allowed to attend, and now UEFA is said to be considering alternative plans.

One apparent idea is for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final to be played at neutral venues in a single city and Lisbon is reportedly considered to be the strongest option, given Portugal's low coronavirus infection rate and the facilities of Benfica and Sporting CP.

Gomes agrees Lisbon would be an effective host, telling Stats Perform News: "For us Portuguese, I believe it is a good thing.

"After a lot of meetings [UEFA] understood it's maybe better to do it in one place rather than everybody travelling around Europe.

"[Lisbon] is a good option, and I'm not sure if they already decided a final decision, but it's true a lot of views and conversations are being held in order to maybe give Lisbon the final eight of the Champions League.

"I think it's good for football to find a solution in order to finish the games that are missing because everybody is waiting for Champions League games."

Both the Europa League and Champions League were suspended in March during the round-of-16.

Twelve teams remain in the Champions League with the competition halted during the middle of its first knockout stage.

Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and RB Leipzig had all progressed to the quarter-final stage with four more ties yet to be decided.

In the remaining matches, Manchester City lead Real Madrid 2-1 heading into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium, while Chelsea have to overcome a three-goal deficit away at Bayern.

Juventus host Lyon in their second contest by a 1-0 margin, while Barcelona and Napoli will head into their decider at Camp Nou tied at one-apiece.

Tony Pulis believes Tottenham have to win trophies to keep Harry Kane but feels no man is better equipped than Jose Mourinho to mastermind such a breakthrough at the club.

At the end of March, England captain Kane said he would not stay with boyhood club Spurs "for the sake of it".

Those words reportedly set European football's elite on alert but, despite a difficult campaign for last season's Champions League finalists that saw the departure of boss Mauricio Pochettino in November, Pulis believes Kane is well placed to achieve his goals under Mourinho.

"Tottenham have got to start winning trophies. I don't think you can criticise Kane too much," the former Stoke City, Crystal Palace and West Brom manager told Stats Perform News.

"He's a top player at international and club level. Over the past three or four years with Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs have been a top team. If you'd said they wouldn't win anything three or four years ago I'd have been surprised - and I am.

"He'll want to win things, he'll want to be ambitious. They say he's really happy at Tottenham. It's a fabulous football club – the new stadium and training facilities are out of this world.

"But the boy wants to win. And he has a manager who wants to win as well.

"They most probably need the backing from Daniel Levy and the club in some way and it'll be difficult because of the financial crisis that has hit the world."

Even though Mourinho's stock has arguably fallen since his glory days in charge of Porto, Chelsea and Inter, Pulis still holds the Portuguese in the highest regard.

"Mourinho is a fantastic manager and his record shows that, given the tools, he can win football matches," he added.

"He needs time. The big problem in society today and especially in sport is that people think it will happen overnight.

"Fingers crossed they'll give him time there. If they do that and back him financially, he's proved he is one of the great managers over the past couple of decades.

"Mourinho has got as good a chance as any manager on the planet of getting success there."

Tim Howard will be the subject of a feature film, to which Amazon have acquired the rights. 

The film will focus on the former U.S. men's national team star's first season at Manchester United and living with Tourette syndrome.

Howard, who is currently a player, sporting director and minority owner of USL Championship side Memphis 901, spent four years as a Man Utd player after moving to Old Trafford from the MetroStars in 2003.

The goalkeeper replaced Fabien Barthez between the sticks for United and went on to make 44 appearances in all competitions in his first season as Sir Alex Ferguson’s team went on to claim the Premier League title and FA Cup.

The film’s producer, Mark Ciardi, originally hoped to start making the film 15 years ago, after he saw a 60 Minutes special on Howard in 2005.

Although there were several other filmmakers hoping to start a project with the shot-stopper, Howard opted to focus on his playing career instead of getting involved.

“I don’t think that would have been a smart thing to do on my end. I had a lot of my career ahead of me,” Howard said, according to Sports Business Journal. “I didn’t want to be a one-hit wonder, I wanted to work and get my feet under me.”

His agent, Dan Segal, added: “It was sort of a fairy tale story, and we got about half a dozen different movie producers reaching out at that point.”

The idea was revived last year when Ciardi reached out to Howard’s management and the two-time CONCACAF Gold Cup winner feels now is the right time to see it through.

“It’s a pretty cool story, if I do say so myself,” said Howard. “We’re far enough removed from that moment that we can capture it in that best light.”

Howard may have had a successful first year in Manchester, he was relegated to the bench the following term as Roy Carroll took over as first-choice.

He featured even less in 2005-06 as Edwin van der Sar was signed from Fulham.

Man Utd then loaned Howard to Everton in and he ended up joining the Toffees on a permanent basis, making over 400 appearances before he returned to the U.S. to join the Colorado Rapids in 2016.

Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Stanton Fredericks says his stint with Kaizer Chiefs between 2001 and 2004 was his most successful experience. 

The 41-year-old retired player said he played with some of the best players at Amakhosi, making mention of Doctor Khumalo, Brian Baloyi and Thabo Mooki who all made their names at the Naturena-based outfit. 

"I played with some big names [at Kaizer Chiefs]... Doctor Khumalo, Brian Baloyi, Thabo Mooki. I think it's safe to say it's my most successful stint in South African football," Fredericks told the South African Football Legends.   

Fredericks lifted 10 trophies with Amakhosi between 2001 and 2003 - winning all the domestic major trophies on offer several times in addition to the African Winners' Cup, two Vodacom Challenge titles and two Telkom Charity Cup titles. 

And he feels he found himself during his three-year stay with the Glamour Boys while adding that playing for Bidvest Wits was different from wearing the gold and black jersey.  

Fredericks believes he learned a lot at Chiefs that it helped him last for seven to eight years in Europe before ending his professional career where it started in South Africa. 

"I think in three years, I won like nine or 10 Cups. I think it's where I found myself as a football player," he said.  

"It's one thing playing for Wits and playing okay every third or fourth game but when you put on the gold and black [jersey], the microscope is on you - every game, you need to produce a certain level of football and [that] certainly helped me focus a little bit more. It started leading me to accept the criticism because as a human being and as a professional sportsperson if you can't accept the good and the bad, it's just going to get into you and you won't perform at your maximum. 

"I think it's a space where I really learned about myself; the mental strength that came into it but most of all, I played under coach Muhsin Ertugral; I think tactically, that's where my understanding of the game really grew and that put me in good stead to continue and play in Europe for seven to eight years," added Fredericks. 

Osita Okolo, the brother-in-law and agent of Lille striker Victor Osimhen, has not ruled out the possibility of the Nigerian joining Napoli.

Reports surfaced last week the 21-year-old had agreed a deal to join the Partenopei, but the player came out to debunk it as "fake news".

It still has not stopped Osimhen's name from circulating in the transfer rumour mill after scoring 13 goals in 27 Ligue 1 outings with Lille finishing just a point and place shy of Champions League qualification.

Okolo also affirmed no deal is in place for Osimhen to join Napoli, but he did not discard a potential deal happening in future. However, it will be up to Osimhen to decide.

“I can say that, for now, Osimhen hasn’t agreed anything with Napoli or another club. I can also deny that he dreams of going to the Premier League," Okolo told Naples-based station, Radio Marte.

“I don’t know why [the press] says certain things. Naples is a fantastic city and Napoli are a very good team.

“I’m always honoured whenever I hear these links, but for now there’s no deal in place, even if negotiations with them are ongoing.

“He wants to play regularly, we’re not going to repeat certain bad experiences from the past.

“The Napoli fans are fantastic, their stadium is beautiful. I can only speak well of Naples and its team.”

Okolo highlighted racism as a problem in Italy but did not see Napoli fans among them and as such would make a transfer for Osimhen a good choice.

“The real problem with Italy is racism," Okolo continued.

"I know it happens all over Europe, but in Italy it happens a bit more often compared to elsewhere.

“I know Napoli fans aren’t racist. I have the video of them wearing masks for Koulibaly.

“Although Napoli fans aren’t racist, many others are. Naples may be the right destination for Victor, but he still must make a decision.”

Osimhen joined Lille from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2019 and clocked a total of 3,012 competitive minutes on the pitch, scoring 18 goals including two in the Champions League which came against Chelsea and Valencia.

Former Egypt coach Bob Bradley has revealed the piece of advice that he believes helped improve Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah’s game and has elevated him to a world-class level.

The 62-year-old took charge of Egypt between 2011 and 2013, during which time Salah was a young star breaking into the team, still playing domestically at Al Mokawloon.

From there, he moved to Switzerland with Basel before spells with Chelsea, Fiorentina and Roma. It has been since moving to Liverpool in 2017 that the 27-year-old has really caught the eye, however, scoring 70 goals in 100 Premier League appearances, helping the club to the Champions League of 2019 and pushing them to the brink of a first domestic league title in a generation.

Bradley believes asking Salah to imitate Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, a six-time Ballon d’Or winner, when he was still refining his game, has been the secret to much of his subsequent success.

“Salah improved a lot since I left the Egyptian NT, he is a great player,” the American told Egyptian TV channel Sada El Balad.

“I told him to watch Messi closely, so he can improve his performance and he took my advice.

“Back then I tried to change his position to play deep as a striker, because he has the speed. He Is now one of the best players in the world.”

Salah and his Liverpool team-mates are gearing up to return to action in the middle of June following an unscheduled break in the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jurgen Klopp’s side need only six points to secure a first crown of the Premier League era, with their challenge recommencing against Stanley Park rivals Everton on June 21. After hosting Crystal Palace three days later, they go to Manchester City in a showdown between the top two, with the Reds already hoping to have lifted the lead by that point.

Salah has contributed 16 goals and six assists in 26 league appearances this season, while he finished with four goals and two decisive passes in the Champions League, a competition in which Liverpool’s defence was brought to a premature end as they lost out at home to Atletico Madrid after extra-time.

Akinkunmi Amoo has teamed up with Swedish elite division side Hammarby on a four-year-deal from Nigeria’s Sidos FC.

The midfielder who clocked 18 on Sunday will continue his progression with the Stockholm based outfit partly owned by football great Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Amoo is currently in Nigeria owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and he will join the Bajen as soon as the ban is lifted on air travel.

In a statement published on the club’s website on Monday, the move was sealed after the teenager chose the team ahead of other suitors and they have vowed to be patient with him.

“We have worked with Amoo, or "Akin" as he is called, for the past two years,” sports manager Jesper Jansson said.

“There has been some interest from other clubs, but during the time we have known each other we have built a strong relationship and we are very happy that Akin chose us.

“Our coaching staff, our players and not least Mikael Hjelmberg and Wadda Tamimi have been extremely involved in making Akin feel like part of the family at Årsta.

“With Akin, we get into an explosive, skilful and offensive player with a nice left foot. But we have to remember that he has just turned 18, so we should have patience and work together to further develop Akin's excellence.”

Hammarby’s CEO Henrik Kindlund also expressed his delight having the former Golden Eaglets’ star in their fold.

“We have had an agreement with Amoo and his family, that if he wants to choose us when he is 18, he is welcome to Hammarby,” said Kindlund.

“Now we warmly welcome him to Hammarby. Although we have a tough time in these corona times, we have felt that we need to stand by our word and that is why we have chosen to go ahead and sign an agreement with Amoo.

“In addition to the purely moral we have also spent a lot of time to follow and develop Amoo as a player, it would feel tough to throw that effort overboard now.”

With this move, he becomes the second African after Gabon international Serge-Junior Ngouali, in manager Stefan Billborn.

Amoo was part of Manu Garba’s Nigeria U17 squad for the 2019 Fifa World Cup in Brazil. Nigeria crashed out of the Round of 16 owing to a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands at Goiania’s Estadio Olimpico.

Medeama coach Samuel Boadu believes his club was on course to win the Ghana Premier League before the competition ground to a halt in March.

The elite domestic championship has been on hold since a national ban on public gatherings, including sporting and religious events, came into effect as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Medeama topped the league table at the time of the suspension but six lost points for fielding an ineligible player in a game has seen the side fall to sixth on the standings.

"Considering our peak and our energetic young players, we were surely going for the title," Boadu told Wontumi Radio.

"We possessed the ball more in our games and so if you look at our numbers, we are a team that scores a lot of goals.

“Should the green light be given for the resumption of the league, we are ready to go all out for the title.

"We had targeted to pick at least five points from our next three crucial away games at Kotoko, Accra Hearts of Oak and Ashantigold.

"This is the analysis we did if we really could win the league."

Medeama are searching for their first league title.

The championship was at the Matchweek 15 stage - with Aduana Stars leading the table - when the competition was brought to a halt.

At the time, a total of six cases had been recorded.

As of Monday, June 8, the West African nation has registered 9,910 cases involving 48 deaths and 3,645 recoveries. 

Globally, over 7,154,389 persons have been infected, and 407,715 lives lost resultantly.

The ban on football remains in place until at least July 31.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has set a June 30 deadline to make a final decision on the future of football in the country.

The football's governing body, through the Ghana Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), made a proposal to the national government for a possible prompt return of football under conditions such as the playing of matches behind closed doors.

The request was, however, turned down.

Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak are the two of the most successful clubs in the history of the Premier League with 23 and 19 titles respectively.