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Simy Nwankwo’s agent Vincenzo Morabito has revealed his client has received offers from some Premier League clubs.

The 29-year-old delivered spectacular performances for Crotone in the 2020-21 season although his effort was not enough to help the club maintain their Serie A status.

Simy scored 20 goals and provided three assists, amid other dazzling displays, which have seen him linked to a number of clubs.

Morabito has now confirmed the Nigeria international, who has one year left on his current contract, has also been courted by English top-flight sides.

"Simy has a very interesting market in England, there are at least a couple of interested clubs in the Premier League,” Morabito told TuttoMonza.

"His preference is for foreign countries, eventually we will consider offers from the upper-middle-range Serie A club.

"We are therefore working mainly on the English market, where the clubs are economically more solid and can offer important figures both to Crotone and to the player. He deserves a championship like that.

"Let's see what happens in the next few weeks. At the moment, I repeat, the most concrete track is the one that leads to the Premier League".

The centre-forward has spent five years with Crotone after joining the club in the summer of 2016 from Gil Vicente.

Simy bagged 20 goals in the 2019-20 season to help the Pythagoreans gain promotion to Serie A, the strikes also ensured he scooped the top-scorer award.

The attacker was recently recalled to the Nigeria national team following his impressive goalscoring form for Crotone.

The forward has made four appearances for the three-time African champions since his debut against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018.

The forward will be expected to link up with the Super Eagles for their upcoming international friendly against Cameroon in Austria on June 4.

France international and Chelsea star N'Golo Kante deserves to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or, according to African football fans.

The pint-sized midfielder added the Champions League title to his list of successes which includes the World Cup and Premier League crowns, as Thomas Tuchel’s Blues defeated Manchester City 1-0 at the Estadio do Dragao.

Kai Havertz’s 42nd-minute effort separated the English sides in the keenly contested showdown.

Also, Kante’s solid display against Pep Guardiola’s Citizens fetched him a third successive man of the match award in the competition.

With the Stamford Bridge giants’ success still generating attention on social media, fans claim that no player is more deserving of winning the individual accolade than the 30-year-old.

Meanwhile, some do not agree with this assertion as they queried how the Frenchman who was not considered as the Blues’ Player of the Season has suddenly become favourites to dethrone Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Mark Williams believes the TS Galaxy defenders succeeded in distracting Orlando Pirates striker Gabadinho Mhango with their robust play in a 1-0 home win at the Mbombela Stadium on Sunday.

Having conceded an early goal against Galaxy, Pirates went on to enjoy the lion's share of chances for the rest of the game.

Mhango in particular had a lot of opportunities, but was guilty of missing the target as well as being denied by some great saves by Galaxy keeper Marlon Hugh. He also struck the post.

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Mark Williams, speaking in the SuperSport TV studio after the game, believes that the Rockets defenders had purposely tried to rough Mhango up in order to distract him from what he does best.

"I think that Mhango knows how to score goals," Williams said. "It's not that he doesn't know how to score goals.

"But if you get him at the right place, and you touch on certain buttons, he reacts towards that.”

The former Bafana Bafana striker, who won the 1996 Afcon with South Africa, thinks that the physical approach towards Mhango may well have been a ploy by the TS Galaxy technical team.

"And that's a weak point - as a player you need to forget about those things and focus on what the job is that you need to do.

"Because once they got into his mind, he then lost the plot. He needs to make sure he can put them up 1-0, he can put them up 2-0. But it’s what happened earlier (which distracted Mhango).

"And you know with the coaches they have – I can just imagine Shaun Bartlett and Owen [da Gama], saying listen here, ‘don't be scared, go a little bit in (with the challenges), a bit of physical, and that’s what we saw this afternoon'."

Both teams ended the match with 10 men – Pirates had Abel Mabaso sent off while Spiwe Msimango was dismissed for the Rockets; both men picked up two yellow cards.

The Campeonato Brasileirao Serie A is the top level of soccer in Brazil and has been the breeding ground for some of the world's greatest players including Pele and Neymar.

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

As a result, football fans and scouts from all over the world watch the Brasileirao to see some of tomorrow's stars today, as well as some of the most exciting and entertaining games on television, filled with amazing technical ability and plenty of goals.

The 2021 Serie A season kicked off on the weekend of May 28 following the conclusion of Brazil's state championships, and will run without interruption until the final round of fixtures in December.

How to watch Flamengo vs Palmeiras

Flamengo were crowned back-to-back Serie A champions in February as they pipped Internacional to the title in a thrilling finale. 

On the last day the Rio side were downed by Sao Paulo, but Inter failed to get the victory needed to take the summit as they were held 0-0 by Corinthians, handing the Mengao the title by one point. 

Rogerio Ceni's men followed that up with a state triumph, beating out Fluminense in the Carioca final to take their latest gong. 

Palmeiras, meanwhile, started 2020 on a high as they downed Santos to win the Copa Libertadores - while they also emerged victorious in the Copa do Brasil.

Unsurprisingly, the Verdao's league form suffered while their attentions were turned elsewhere, and they could only take seventh in Serie A. 

They also missed out on the Paulista Championship to Sao Paulo, who prevailed in the final 2-0 on aggregate.

Flamengo vs Palmeiras is available to stream worldwide on Fanatiz , where you can sign up for a 7-day free trial.

Brasileirao 2021 is exclusive to Fanatiz outside Brazil.

Live Stream: Fanatiz English ( stream now )

Flamengo vs Palmeiras team news and preview.

Flamengo will be at full strength for Sunday's Serie A curtain-raiser. 

Bruno Henrique and Willian Arao return to the hosts' starting line-up after missing Thursday's Copa Libertadores meeting with Velez Sarsfield through suspension.

Marcos Rocha, Kuscevic and Gabriel Veron are all on the injured list for the visitors, while Renan is also a doubt as he recovers from a knee problem.

Watch all this weekend's Brasileirao matches on Fanatiz  with a 7-day free trial.

What other Brasileirao matches are available on Fanatiz?

Watch the Brasileirao live on Fanatiz.

Former Orlando Pirates striker Phumudzo Manenzhe believes Kaizer Chiefs were right in firing Gavin Hunt since he had failed with a performing squad.

Amakhosi opted to fire the tactician after struggles in the PSL; the team had lost 2-1 to Black Leopards last Wednesday, and two days later the experienced tactician was shown the door. 

Many were surprised by Chiefs' decision to fire the coach, but not the 37-year-old former Bucs attacker.   

"A lot of people might be surprised, but I, for one, am not surprised," Manenzhe said on Sunday.

"Hunt inherited a squad that came second in the league in the previous season, barring the exclusion of George Maluleka who had left, [for Mamelodi Sundowns], the rest of the team was basically the same.

"So for me, in a football sense, how can a team that finished second struggle to finish outside the top eight the following season? I find that hard to understand."

Since Chiefs are serving a Fifa transfer ban, Hunt could not strengthen the team. He further had to deal with the absence of top scorer Samir Nurkovic who missed the first half of the season owing to injuries.

But Manenzhe believes that is not enough of an excuse for the 56-year-old to finish in the bottom half of the table.

"Play the players to their strengths so that they can get to second place again," the former attacker continued.

"Are you telling me Hunt was not playing these players to their best to finish outside the top 10? Hunt has been in [South African] football for a long time so you cannot tell me what he needs to understand." 

Earlier on, a senior player had stated the tactician was not in the good books with the players and he wanted to make changes once he had a chance to do so.

"Hunt had a poor relationship with many players at the club," he told Goal.

"He had intentions of releasing about half the team and bringing in new players. But things have happened and he is no longer with us. 

"We remained positive and worked professionally. Every player gave his best and no one sabotaged him or even planned a go-slow.

"We were playing for the badge, not Hunt.

"Too bad that some results were not going our way, especially in the PSL, but we want to finish stronger." 

AFC Leopards fans have openly criticised the team after they missed another chance to move top of the FKF Premier League table on Sunday.

Ingwe went into the match against Bidco United knowing a win will see them move to 39 points on the log and take control but it was not the case as the promoted side humiliated them 3-1 at Ruaraka grounds.

Goals came from Alex Juma, Peter Nzuki, and David Orem in the 7th minute, 41st, and 51st minutes respectively. Midfielder Shaka Bienvenue pulled a goal back for Ingwe in the 81st minute but it was not enough to help them get something from the game.

AFC Leopards had another chance to move top of the log eight days ago but they also fluffed it after battling to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Posta Rangers, and against Bidco it was another chance for them after leaders KCB had suffered a 1-0 defeat against Sofapaka on Saturday and which they have now wasted.

Tusker, who beat Vihiga United 4-0 at Mumias Complex also on Sunday, have now assumed leadership of the table but Ingwe should blame themselves for their disjointed display against Bidco United, whom they had beaten 2-0 in their first-round meeting.

Below is how Twitter reacted to Ingwe’s latest setback in their quest to move top of the 18-team table.

 Achraf Hakimi’s agent Alejandro Camano has dismissed the rumours making the rounds that he is in talks with Paris Saint-Germain for his client to join the French side.

The wing-back delivered eye-catching performances during his debut season with the Black and Blues, helping the club to win the Serie A title.

The Morocco international made 45 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing 11 assists.

The defender has been heavily linked away from San Siro to PSG and the departure of manager Antonio Conte from the club has further fueled the defender’s exit.

Camano has, however, quashed the rumour, insisting the 22-year-old has four years left on his contract and he has not held any discussion with the Parisians on the possible move of his client to the French side.

“He is the best player in Europe in his position. That’s why there are so many rumours about him,” Camano told Calciomercato.

“Hakimi has four years left in his contract with Inter, and I want to clarify I haven’t talked to any other club.

“We are serene. Hakimi has joined his national team and has a long-term deal with Inter. I want to thank all the Inter fans who send him messages these days.”

Hakimi teamed up with the Black and Blues last summer from Real Madrid after impressing on a two-year loan with Borussia Dortmund.

He helped the German side to win the DFL-Supercup and was named in the 2019-20 Bundesliga Team of the Season for his fine displays.

The defender has been with Real since 2006 and made nine league appearances for the side before permanently departing from them.

Hakimi is also a prominent member of the Morocco national team and has 34 caps for the African country.

Inter will hope to keep the versatile wing-back beyond the summer as they will be looking to compete for another league title next season.

TS Galaxy dented Orlando Pirates' hopes of finishing in the top two in the PSL after securing a 1-0 win over the Soweto giants on Sunday afternoon.

Masilake Phohlongo was the hero for the Rockets as he scored the only goal of the encounter in the first half and the Mpumalanga-based side was able to see out the match. 

The Rockets were hoping to avoid a third successive defeat and also climb back into the top eight on the league standings with a victory over the Buccaneers.

Former Pirates coach Owen Da Gama deployed experienced attackers Lindokuhle Mbatha and Mxolisi Macuphu upfront, while Given Msimango led the defence and Marlon Heugh started in goal. 

While Bucs were looking to move into the top three on the standings with a win over the Rockets and also make it two wins in a row after defeating AmaZulu FC 1-0 on Thursday.

Wayde Jooste, Abel Mabaso, Nkanyiso Zungu, Vincent Pule and Kabelo Dlamini were all recalled to the starting line-up as coach Josef Zinnbauer made five changes to the team which faced AmaZulu.

Galaxy caught Pirates by surprise as the hosts grabbed an early goal just three minutes into the game through Masilake Phohlongo, who had also scored in the first round 1-1 draw between the two teams in January 2021.

The former Ajax Cape Town attacking midfielder headed home from close range to hand Galaxy a 1-0 lead after the visitors had failed to clear Ebrahim Seedat's curling cross from the left flank.

The Rockets were able to cut open the Bucs defence with ease with Tshegofatso Nyama's effort narrowly missing the target after he beat his marker before Mbatha was denied by goalkeeper Siyabonga Mbatha.

Pirates did threaten when Frank Mhango hit the upright, but the visitors were then reduced to 10 players in the 31st minute after Mabaso was red-carded having received his second yellow card of the game.

The visitors attacked in numbers despite being numerically disadvantaged and Galaxy also went a man down when Msimango was sent off after collecting his second caution of the game on the stroke of half-time.

The introduction of Deon Hotto prior to the second half brought some needed pace and trickery to the Pirates attack and he set up Mhango, whose shot was blocked by Heugh from a one-on-one situation.

Heugh was the busier of the two keepers as he finger-tipped Hotto's attempt from a corner-kick over the crossbar, before producing a breathtaking save to deny Jooste with Galaxy under siege.

Bucs continued to push for the equalising goal, but they were wasteful in front of goal as Thembinkosi Lorch dragged his shot wide of the target from inside the box, before Mhango miscued his shot from the edge of the area.

The Rockets then stood firm at the back in the latter stages of the match and ultimately, the game ended in a 1-0 victory of Galaxy, who climbed up to eighth place on the standings and they will face Stellenbosch FC on Wednesday.

While Pirates, who are set to take on Baroka FC on Wednesday, remained fourth on the standings - four points behind second-placed AmaZulu FC.

The Soweto giants' hopes of qualifying for next season's Caf Champions League are out of their hands with two games left. 

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka says he is proud to have attracted admiring glances from Jose Mourinho amid Roma's interest in trying to sign him.

Despite playing an important role at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, the Switzerland international could be on his way out of London this summer.

He has just two years left on his contract and there have been no negotiations with the Gunners over a new deal.

What has been said?

With Roma showing serious interest in him at the behest of Mourinho, Xhaka is flattered and interested in working under the Portuguese coach.

“Of course I read [about the interest]. But now I'm one 100 per cent focused on the national team here," the 28-year-old told Blick as he prepares to compete at Euro 2020 with Switzerland. 

"That's more important than Arsenal or rumours right now. I have another two years on my contract in London and Arsenal they know what they have in me. When the time comes to talk about a transfer, I'll be here."

He added: “To be honest, I didn't hear what Mourinho has said about me. But that makes you proud. Everyone knows Mourinho, knows what he has achieved. Mourinho knows how to win titles.

"You can now see what work I have done over the past few years."

What are Roma's chances of signing Xhaka?

Arsenal are in a hurry to have Xhaka's future wrapped up and the same goes for right-back Hector Bellerin.

But Roma hope to snap him up in a deal worth less than £15 million ($21m), which is far short of what the Premier League side hope to get for him. 

Xhaka has also been linked with a move back to Borussia Monchengladbach, but said previously that he is "very happy" at Arsenal. 

Xhaka joined Arsenal from Gladbach in 2016. He made 45 appearances in all competitions in 2020-21 as the north London side finished eighth in the Premier League and reached the Europa League semi-finals.

Further reading

Leroy Sane has reflected on his "difficult" first year at Bayern Munich, admitting he knows that he did not play an "outstanding season", and is now looking forward to Euro 2020.

Sane completed a €60 million (£52m/$73m) switch to Bayern from Manchester City last summer, bringing to an end a long-running transfer saga that had stretched on longer than expected due to his battle to recover from a cruciate knee ligament injury.

The 25-year-old has since become a Bundesliga champion at Allianz Arena, but has only shown flashes of the form which saw him emerge as one of the top wingers in Europe at Etihad Stadium.

What has Leroy Sane said?

While Sane acknowledges the fact he has fallen short of expectations at the start of his Bayern career, he is now looking ahead to Euro 2020 with optimism as he seeks to get back to his best level.

"I know that I haven't played an outstanding season," the Germany international said in a video chat with Goal and SPOX.

"For me it was a bit more difficult in general due to the corona break and my knee injury. It was important to me to get back my rhythm, to be fit, which I managed to do.

"Now I'm putting all my focus on the European Championship."

Sane added on Germany's chances of winning their first major trophy since the 2014 World Cup: "It's a very big dream to win this title. We have to give our best, and we are preparing very well.

"There is a certain pressure, but each of us is looking forward to this challenge."

Sane's record for Bayern

Sane featured in 44 games across all competitions in Bayern colours this term, but only started 18 of their 34 fixtures in the Bundesliga.

The former City star finished the season with 10 goals to his name and also managed to contribute 12 assists, including one in a 5-2 final day victory over Augsburg.

Sane on City's Champions League final defeat

Sane went on to express his sympathy towards his ex-City team-mates following their Champions League final defeat to Chelsea in Portugal on Saturday.

"I felt very sorry for the boys, the club and the fans. I would have wished them to win this title," he said

"Unfortunately it did not work out, but I know that they will stay hungry and give everything to win this trophy one day. I wish them only the best!"

Further reading

Simba SC have for the second time this season taken the decision to suspend midfielder Jonas Mkude.

Goal can exclusively reveal the Taifa Stars player, who is yet to report to training since May 18, has now been asked by the club to stay away after he decided to abscond duty.

 A source within the club and, who did not want to be named, has told Goal the decision by the club is final and the player will have to explain himself before regaining his place back in the team.

What has been said?

“The club has reached a decision to suspend midfielder Jonas [Mkude], who is not and has never reported to camp since the team returned from South Africa where they played Kaizer Chiefs in the quarter-finals of the Caf Champions League,” the source told Goal on Sunday.

“Two days after the team arrived from South Africa, all the players were asked to report to camp to start preparations for the return leg having lost 4-0 but Mkude did not show up, and he never sent an apology or reason as to why he was missing.

“But when he came to camp, he gave his reason to the team’s head coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa and team manager Patrick Rweyemamu but all of them did not agree with his reason, they felt he was lying and asked him to leave.

“Since then, Mkude was asked not to report to camp but stay away from the team and he thus missed the return leg against Chiefs which Simba won 3-0 but failed to qualify for the semi-finals.”

The source continued: “But even after the Chiefs game, the club is yet to allow him to return to camp or join the rest of the squad, but what I know is he has been stopped from attending anything to do with the club because of disciplinary issues, and the case is now with the team’s disciplinary committee for discussion.”

Similar problem?

In January, Mkude was fined by the Wekundu wa Msimbazi Tsh200, 000 after he pleaded for forgiveness after he was found culpable for three offences.

The first offence was his decision to skip the club’s seminar which was held to discuss the team’s targets for the season, his second mistake was reporting late to training ahead of their Mainland Premier League match against Coastal Union with his third mistake being failure to report to camp on December 26, 2020, without permission.

Wilfried Bony expressed his pain after Swansea City suffered a 2-0 loss to Brentford in the Championship play-off final on Saturday.

The defeat quashed Swansea City’s hopes of playing in the Premier League next season and it was their second successive disappointment in the play-off after they were knocked out by the Bees in the semi-final last year.

First-half goals from Ivan Toney and Emiliano Marcondes did the damage to the Swans at Wembley Stadium.

The result came as a blow to Bony who had two stints at Liberty Stadium and he also encouraged Steve Cooper’s men to keep fighting for their return to the English top-flight next season.

Bony wrote on Instagram. “I am with a broken heart, as many of Swansea fans, but I can tell you guys, you have done a lot during this long and difficult season, you have to be proud of yourselves and I believe that you will get the support from all the fans.

“I also believe that you will make it to the Premier League next season, because without failure we can’t improve. Learn from those 2 finals and the next one will be ours.”

Ghana captain Andre Ayew was in action for the Swans on Saturday but his contributions were not enough to help the team achieve their promotion target.

Cooper, in his post-game reaction, maintained that his team will bounce back from the disappointment and will continue pushing for promotion.

“For me, I have always worked on the basis that although setbacks are the hardest thing, they are the most important thing that defines you,” he told the club website.

“So don’t worry about me. We’ll get back to Swansea and the off-season plans will kick on as normal.

“Setbacks have got to make you stronger and define you. You either sulk and things get even worse, or you come back fighting even stronger.

“That will definitely be this set of players’ mentality because they have always done that.

“We have had to do that this season to get as far as this, particularly in the circumstances we’ve had to work in. That will be the lads’ approach I am sure.”

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has sent a passionate plea to the government to consider giving them access to the main stadiums – Kasarani and Nyayo – for their FKF Premier League matches.

Since the league resumed four weeks ago, teams based in Nairobi have been sharing two pitches – Ruaraka and Utalii grounds – and with rains pounding the city and its environs on a daily basis, the playing surfaces are in a deplorable state.

Despite efforts by the Football Kenya Federation to secure the usage of the main stadia – Kasarani and Nyayo – the government has remained mum on the matter, insisting the former is being prepared to host the World Athletics Championship, while the latter is still under renovation.

Shikanda has now told Goal they face a dilemma over the pitch issue as their head coach Patrick Aussems has threatened to quit because of the condition of the surface his players are being forced to use.

What has been said?

“It is not a laughing matter anymore, we just want to appeal to the government to come to our rescue and give us access to either Kasarani or Nyayo for the remaining league matches, we are kindly asking, please help us,” Shikanda told Goal on Sunday.

“The situation is now affecting even the team including our coach [Aussems] who has insisted if we don’t change the venues we are using, for now, then he will quit, he has mentioned it to us not more than three times.

“He is very upset to play at Ruaraka and he was telling us, the venue is not for professionals but maybe for the upcoming players, he wants to see a top brand of passing football which cannot be displayed at Ruaraka, he feels the venue can harm players with injuries and it is not to the required standards.

“He had mentioned after the Posta Rangers game he will not go back to Ruaraka and then when we played our next game, it was lined up there, we had to convince him to take the team, he was very upset and still we don’t see if anything is being done to save the situation.”

Are Kenyans serious with football?

Shikanda continued: “Aussems was asking us, don’t you people love football in Kenya? This is unacceptable, why do you have to play football in such conditions and deplorable pitches?”

“We want to ask the government to come in and help us, let them give us either Kasarani or Nyayo, we are all sportsmen, athletics is sports and football is sports, we should not pick who uses what, we are intending to use the inside pitch while athletics is using the tartan track, those are two different things which cannot stop the government from allowing us access.”

Apart from AFC Leopards, other teams based in Nairobi include champions Gor Mahia, Tusker, KCB, Posta Rangers, Nairobi City Stars, Mathare United, and Kariobangi Sharks.

Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel has said that he "didn't want to be at Arsenal because of the atmosphere" while claiming he was "picked on" during his time at Emirates Stadium.

Lawrence-Gabriel began his career in Arsenal's academy set-up as a 14-year-old in 2013, and played alongside the likes of Joe Willock, Tolaji Bola, Marcus McGuane, Charlie Gilmour, Josh Dasilva and Nathan Tella before being released the following year.

The right-back, who is currently on loan at Blackpool from Nottingham Forest, says a combination of a lack of support from coaches and a toxic environment in the dressing room led to his eventual departure.

What's been said?

Lawrence-Gabriel told The Mirror of his ill-fated spell with the Gunners: “We were all Arsenal fans in my family. My dream had always been to play for Arsenal and to play at the Emirates, which I eventually did in the U14s.

“The ability our team had was frightening. When you went away for tournaments you went with your year group. I remember in 2006-2007 we went to Dirinon and won the tournament in France.

“But talent only gets you so far. If you have staff who want to push players through, that helps. Not everyone had that. Coaches can have their favourites they are going to push, whether they have a bad attitude or not.

“So it is not always a nice atmosphere to be in. A lot of the time I didn't want to be there at Arsenal because of the atmosphere. Sometimes I didn't really want to go to training because you'd get picked on.

"The staff wouldn't really do anything about it. There was more chance of people being rewarded than punished. Coming through at a young age, you get a lot of knocks. Some people don't get up from that and they don't want to go through that.

“They put it aside and drop out of football because they lose belief."

What was Lawrence-Gabriel told upon his exit?

Lawrence-Gabriel went on to recall the exact moment he was told his Arsenal dream had come to an end, with club legend and academy director at the time Liam Brady the one who broke the bad news.

“I remember being released like yesterday," the 22-year-old added. "I went in with my dad and had the conversation when Liam Brady said: 'there is potential there and we love having you but I am not quite sure we can see you getting a contract later on'.

“That is when my dad said: 'It is probably best that we split paths'. From that, I literally left the office, got in the car and didn't look back. It was massively heart-breaking.

“You felt shock and hurt. But as soon as I went from there I felt I would show them what I am capable of.”

Lawrence-Gabriel chasing promotion with Blackpool

Lawrence-Gabriel has featured in 29 League One games on loan at Blackpool, helping them reach the play-off final against Lincoln City.

The Englishman is hopeful that he can boost his career prospects by helping the club return to the Championship before he heads back to Forest.

“Promotion would be massive for my CV and massive for Blackpool,” he said. “I have been to Wembley before on a tour of the stadium but the play-offs will be better.”

Further reading

"Soon we will host the delegates meeting in order to have this plan ratified. It is only the body that can give us the green light to proceed and implement what we have come up with," Mfikirwa said.

"Yanga are going to stand and its structures maintained as a club, but we also need to accept the fact we need investors from outside in order to boost us as we try to achieve our targets.

"It is understood that we have experienced a slow-motion towards financial success and for that reason, we have decided to welcome investors so that they can offer support and technical advice.
 
"We are going to form a company and welcome other companies to come and invest in it. The company will be jointly owned by Yanga and the investors where the club will own 51% of shares and the remaining 49% will be shared among the investors.
 
"A shareholder can be a company, a group or an individual and if such a shareholder can buy 12.25% share, they are guaranteed a place on the board of the company. The board will have a maximum of nine members where five will be from the club and four from the investors."
 
The club's technical advisor, Senzo Mazingisa, hopes the initiative will usher in a positive financial transformation for Timu ya Wananchi.
 
"We met with branch representatives in order to explain to them the changes we hope to undertake. I am very excited and I know the process has started and we are looking forward to engaging with the members and the stakeholders," said the South African.
 
"We are looking forward to engaging further because this is an ongoing process. This is a big club, we trust the process and look forward to a positive transformation in Tanzania. We are looking forward to transforming our club."
 
Financial constraints have been Yanga's major undoing and have had a spiraling effect on the pitch as they have lost key players, including Bernard Morrison and Heritier Makambo, in the recent past.

The initiative is expected to rival Simba SC, who have been stable financially, especially with the arrival of businessman Mo Dewji in 2016, who is the club's majority shareholder.
 

Simba SC striker John Bocco has sent a strong warning to their Mainland Premier League rivals they will not leave any stone unturned as they pursue their target of winning the title for the fourth season in a row.

The Msimbazi giants suffered a huge scare on Saturday at Majaliwa Stadium in Ruangwa, after they scored three goals with 12 minutes left to the final whistle to beat Namungo 3-1 in the rescheduled fixture and move three points clear at the top of the 18-team table.

The reigning champions found themselves trailing as early as the 21st minute when Nzigamasabo Styve's effort deflected past defender Pascal Wawa to beat goalkeeper Aishi Manula with ease.

Simba were forced to wait until the second half to produce a comeback with striker Chris Mugalu starting the goal rush in the 78th minute, before captain Bocco made it 2-1 in the 83rd minute and Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison sealed the game with a beautifully taken effort in the 87th minute.

Bocco, who has now scored in every game he has featured for Simba since returning from injury, has told Goal they will continue to fight for the title and will not leave any stone unturned in their quest to achieve some of the targets they set when the season started.

What has been said?

“It was a battle of the champions and that is what we are made of, we don’t have to give up, we have to dig and get the result and we will not leave any stone unturned until we reach the goals we set when the season kicked-off,” Bocco told Goal after the game.

“Every job needs perseverance and we had to push ourselves to achieve the result against Namungo, we had to play as a team because all we needed from the game was the three points, we are now done with them [Namungo] and we shift focus to the next match.

“We want to win all our matches, we want to retain the title, and it doesn’t matter what it takes, but we know the league is not easy, every team is keen to play and beat Simba and so we must be ready, we are also playing against teams fighting relegation, so it is important to be focused and ready.

“We must push ourselves and we will not stop, we know what it takes for any team to be crowned champions and we don’t want to fall short, we want to defend the title, let us win our games and see what happens at the end.”

Wekundu wa Msimbazi went into the match tied on 61 points with rivals Yanga SC at the top of the 18-team table and knew they had to win their rescheduled fixture so as to start opening the gap to the chasing pack.

Simba will next face Ruvu Shooting on June 3 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane for his achievements in football on the African continent.

On Friday, the former Mamelodi Sundowns tactician led the Red Devils to the Caf Super Cup title after a 2-0 win over RS Berkane. 

Two second-half goals from Mohamed Sherif and Salah Mohsen inspired the Egyptian champions to a well-deserved victory over their Moroccan opponents at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar. 

It was Mosimane's fourth trophy with the Egyptian side, and the Head of State believes the work done by the former Bafana Bafana coach is uniting people from diverse backgrounds and hailed him as a fantastic representative of the country.

"Pitso Mosimane is an outstanding flag-bearer for our country and for football," Ramaphosa stated.

"His outstanding performance and that of his club show what is possible when talent moves freely around our continent to unite people from diverse backgrounds and national origin and inspire them to achieve extraordinary things."

This comes a day after the Al Ahly coach stated he is not being appreciated in South Africa.

"I believe if you focus on winning games, the outcome will sort itself out but I do feel good to be part of contributing to Africa and I feel good to be appreciated, unlike what happened to me in my own country," the 56-year-old said.

"The last week has been too emotional for me, to be honest. But I don’t blame anybody. I have to blame the system that we come from.

"Some people say if you want to set up a black man to fail, you must use a black man to destroy him."

The former Masandawana coach has further stated the best way to answer his critics is by ensuring he does his job well and continue to lift trophies.

"For me, it’s not about talking, it’s about… this is how you reply in football – you reply by lifting trophies, not talking about what happened last week," Mosimane continued.

"Let the work speak for yourself. I’m too mature and I move on. The only way is to congratulate everyone associated with Al Ahly, congratulate the team and everyone who is associated with me." 

Devin Haney will attempt to defend his WBC lightweight title and perfect professional boxing record on Saturday night against seasoned veteran Jorge Linares, who has more than double the fights of experience as the current title holder.

Linares has accused his younger opponent of overlooking him with potentially larger paydays looming ahead, but Haney has denied those claims.

The fighters will meet at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas with lightweight supremacy on the line.

Ahead of the fight, Goal has the details of how to watch on TV, stream live online, and more.

TV channel, live stream & how to watch

In the United States (U.S.), the fight can be streamed exclusively on DAZN.

Devin Haney vs Jorge Linares: Tale of the tape

Haney earned the WBC lightweight title by defeating Xolisani Ndongeni in 2019 and has since held off a series of other competitors to maintain the throne for more than two years.

Of his 25 career victories, 15 have been via KO.

It's been more than a year since Linares last fought. He took down Carlos Morales through KO in that February 2020 clash and has since had to wait through the pandemic for his next big opportunity.

He has a golden chance to bolster his stock deep into his career by facing Haney, a competitor regarded as a fast-riser in the division.

What have Devin Haney & Jorge Linares said?

"He’s overlooking me because he’s already thinking of big fights with Teofimo [Lopez] and Ryan Garcia and the other guys, right?" said a confident Linares to BoxingScene.com. "But he made a big mistake. Sometimes you bite off more than you can chew and, in this case, you’re gonna see it Saturday night.”

Haney responded to Linares on DAZN by saying “[Linares] can say what he wants but we have to get in the ring and do it. I can say what I'd do to him and what he’d do to me, but unless we get in the ring it’s pointless to go back and forth.

“My main focus is Linares because those fights don’t happen without a win from beating Jorge Linares."

Who is on the Devin Haney & Jorge Linares undercard?