Fashion designer Victoria has revealed her middle son has been practising with Inter Miami — the football team David Beckham co-owns — every day. That is because Romeo’s ultimate goal is to follow in his former England captain father’s footsteps and become a professional soccer player.

Romeo Beckham’s famous dad has been involved with Inter Miami as far back as 2007. The American club is based in Miami, Florida, and the team began playing in Major League Soccer in the 2020 season.

Romeo Beckham training with Inter Miami

Victoria Beckham said: “Romeo has been training with the team over here every day, because ultimately that’s what he wants to do.” This is despite the teenager having previously walked away from football.

Victoria, 46, insisted she was not in “football wife mode” again just yet.

When quizzed on the subject, she told Vogue magazine: “No, the only reason why I’m wearing my Reebok cap is because I haven’t had time to do my hair.”

Romeo Beckham’s brothers also dabbled in football

Romeo and his two brothers, Brooklyn, 22, and Cruz, 15, signed up to London football team Arsenal’s academy in 2014, but all three eventually left.

Brooklyn was released first and Romeo left a few months later.

David Beckham — who also has daughter Harper, nine, with Victoria — said at the time that his middle son had “other passions” to pursue.

“Romeo said he didn’t want to play football any more. He’s got other passions and I like that,” he said.

BOYS DIDN’T WANT TO LET DAVID BECKHAM DOWN

In March 2019, Victoria admitted the couple’s three sons didn’t want to let their father down by deciding not to become soccer players.

She said at the time: “All three boys used to have contracts with Arsenal. Brooklyn was the first to say he didn’t want to play any more. And then Romeo decided he didn’t want to do it either.

“I remember Romeo sitting in the bath getting really upset saying, ‘I don’t want to let Daddy down’.

“So I told him daddy just wants you to be happy. And now he’s playing tennis. Every day.”

ALSO READ:

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The 2020 edition of the tournament was due to begin back in March before the global pandemic put proceedings to a halt.

This week, though, fixtures were released as the Dream 11 IPL is all set to begin on 19 September in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

It’s only the third time the elite Twenty20 tournament is taking place outside of India.

IPL heads for UAE

The 2009 edition happened right here in South Africa and then there was the 2014 event in the UAE. Now the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has created the bio bubble there during these unprecedented times.

Matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah with the times changing from 12:30pm to 12:00 noon and 16:30 to 16:00 South African standard time.

These changes were made to suit time zones globally, with the Indian time slot crucial to broadcasters on the sub-continent.

The highly anticipated 13th season begins with defending champions the Mumbai Indians locking horns with Chennai Super Kings. They will face up to each other in Abu Dhabi in an evening IPL game on Saturday 19 September.

South African stars are back

South African sweetheart AB de Villiers’ side is the Royal Challengers of Bangalore. Fellow Saffer Dale Steyn spearheads the bowling.

Led by Indian captain Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers will get their season underway on Monday, 21 September. They will play against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Watch out, because this is a team that has stopped them from winning a title on multiple occasions.

One-time winners the Rajasthan Royals will play the MS Dhoni-Faf Du Plessis unit.

And then they tackle last year’s runners-up, Chennai Super Kings, the following day in Sharjah.

The Kolkata Knight Riders start their campaign on Wednesday 23 September.

There will be 10 double headers during the course of the league before the playoff rounds and final in early November. 

New sponsor for 2020 IPL

The IPL Governing Council has also announced Dream 11 as the new title sponsor of the 2020 edition of the tournament.

IPL chairman Brijesh Patel said: “We welcome Dream 11 on board as title sponsor for the 2020 edition of the IPL.”

In dealing with this “new normal”, all players have completed their self-isolation periods.

According to VPS Healthcare, the Abu Dhabi based official medical partner of the IPL, the “bio-bubble is now secure”.

The company said on Wednesday that over 3 500 tests have been done so far. What’s more, it plans to conduct more than 20 000 tests over the tournament.

The full schedule

All matches will be broadcast live and exclusive to SuperSport on the African continent.

Here is the full IPL 2020 schedule: 

At the WWE Payback pay-per-view, Roman Reigns defeated Braun Strowman and The Fiend: Bray Wyatt in the main event to become the new Universal Champion.

The wrestling spectacle took place inside the WWE ThunderDome at Amway Centre in Orlando and The South African was able to be a part of the virtual fan experience.

Featuring a state-of-the-art set, video boards, pyrotechnics, lasers, cutting-edge graphics and drone cameras, the ThunderDome takes WWE fans’ viewing experience to an unprecedented level.

The ThunderDome launched at SummerSlam last weekend. Teething issues during the week included getting fans in smoothly and preventing unwanted actions on camera. However, WWE thinks it has now got a stronghold on proceedings.

Immersive atmosphere at ThunderDome

“Nothing compares to what we are creating with WWE ThunderDome,” said WWE executive vice president for television production Kevin Dunn.

“This structure will enable us to deliver an immersive atmosphere.

“We can generate more excitement among the millions of fans watching around the world.”

The Thunderdome seats up to 1 000 “virtual” fans at a time at ringside, in the form of LED boards showing their faces. The fans have microphones on to bring in the effect of real crowd noise.

See yourself on TV

WWE encourages fans at home to wear official merchandise while on camera and punts the tagline: “See yourself on TV”.

Fans do need a strong internet connection to prevent lagging. A good connection also boosts their chances of appearing on television.

The South African logged on early, around 90-minutes ahead of the event, and was placed on standby.

Before the kick-off show began, WWE superstar Matt Riddle welcomed the South African to the ThunderDome before WWE live broadcasting kicked in.

It was a thrilling event with big wins for Keith Lee (who defeated Randy Orton) and Bobby Lashley (who put one over to win the US Championship).

And then Roman Reigns pinned Braun Strowman in an incredible main event.

Road ahead for ThunderDome

WWE’s Amway residency will continue for the foreseeable future.  Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-view programming will be on closed sets with only essential staff.

WWE also will continue health and safety protocols for talent, crew and employees on each production, including testing for COVID-19.

Fans can register for their virtual seat to be part of upcoming shows via www.wwethunderdome.com. 

You also can find updates on registration openings on the WWE social media platforms.

• The South African was a part of the WWE ThunderDome courtesy of WWE and Cryptic Wrestling.

And then the underdog swoops in with a header to make it a draw?

That stuff will have you on the edge of your seat, clenching your fists and biting your nails with anticipation!

10 best PSL goals

Let’s countdown the 10 best goals in the PSL, starting with 10 and ending with the most exciting goal ever.

10. Knox Mutizwa vs AmaZulu

After scoring a penalty and continuing to pester the goalkeeper, Knox Mutizwa scored his second goal of the night at 89 minutes. This season was proving to be a bit of a challenge for Abafana Bes’thende. After all, they had been slipping down from the top 8. This game was definitely what they needed to get their confidence back!

Watch it here on YouTube.

9. Bongi Ntuli vs Kaizer Chiefs

It’s not every day that we witness Mzansi’s Number 1 goalkeeper being beaten. The AmaZulu striker stunned Amakhosi as they beat them 1-0 at FNB stadium. This was the first time that they had been able to beat them since 2007.

Watch it here on Facebook.

8. Tshegofatsho Mabaso vs Bidvest Wits

Although the Bucaneers lost this game, this equaliser from Mabaso is worth recognition. A few minutes before heading out into half time, the 23-year old striker welcomed a brilliant pass. It proudly hit his chest before turning and he shot it with his powerful right foot. In the words of commentator Sizwe Mabena: “Click, click, bang!”

Watch it here on Facebook.

7. Gabadinho Mhango vs Kaizer Chiefs

This list wouldn’t be complete with a mention of the leading goal scorer, Gabadinho Mhango. After missing a chance to score his first goal of the match in two minutes, he made up for it exactly two minutes later. That paved the way for two more goals, earning him not only the man of the match accolade but a hat-trick on the evening. This was the PSL’s 153rd hat-trick.

Catch it here on YouTube.

6.Gaston Sirino vs Maritzburg United

Cool, calm and collected is what Gaston Sirino oozed when he scored a sublime goal for Masandawana. It helpd his team claim a 2-1 victory over Maritzburg United. He received a long-range pass from Vilakazi and then exerted his right-foot, making it a stellar goal.

5. Thabiso Mokoena (Own Goal) vs Orlando Pirates

Nothing hurts more than scoring an own goal. What hurts even more is when that goal is the decider for the game. Mokoena scored an own goal in the dying minutes of the game, handing Pirates all three points. The game itself was very entertaining, with action from both sides and all that was missing was more goals. It’s a pity it had to be an own goal.

Watch it here and weep.

4. Samir Nurkovic vs Bloemfontein Celtic

It was raining goals in Moses Mabhida stadium when Samir Nurkovic treated fans to a spectacular hat-trick. It also helped the current log leaders, Kaizer Chiefs clinch a 5-3 victory over Celtic. It was hard to decide but his best goal came in at the 21st minute where he scored from a tight angle. Among six Celtic players, Nurkovic showed them who was boss!

Watch it here on YouTube.

3. Thabo Nodada vs Pirates

The Cape Town City midfielder picked up the ball 40 metres from the goal post and dribbled his way past two Pirates players. He then released a banger of a shot that keeper Joris Delle had no way of stopping. His incredible solo effort scored him the award for goal of the month for September/October 2019.

2. Hlompho Kekana vs Cape Town City

The captain’s thunderbolt goal came in less than 10 minutes from when the game started. It was a long-range shot that the keeper did not see coming. In fact it even had him seeing stars for a minute. Fans clearly loved it because it scooped the PSL’s goal of the month for August 2019.

1. Vincent Pule vs Kaizer Chiefs

This goal came in the 38th minute and was an absolute stunner! It came from a very tight angle and quite frankly, that was surprising because we do not see many goals from that angle. Orlando Pirates was down by 2-0 and that was not because they weren’t attacking. They had every opportunity to score but the problem came when it was time to convert those chances into actual goals. This free kick paved the way for more goals as the game ended in 2-2. What a delight for soccer fans at a thrilling derby.

Watch it here on Facebook.

Lee walked out of the Performance Centre in Orlando with both the NXT and NXT North American titles. This means he is now the most decorated superstar on the World Wrestling Entertainment roster.

The South African caught up with him to see if the celebratory feeling had sunk in just yet, and chatted about the way forward.

Last week Lee announced that Dominick Dijakovic would be the first superstar to have a shot at the titles. And, in our interview, he tells us exactly why that is the case.

Keith Lee speaks about WWE dreams

He said he truly believes that one day the pair would be the main event at WrestleMania. He also reckons that no one deserves the opportunity more than Dijakovic at the moment.

Keith also chatted about dream matches and the importance of fans at a time like this.

After receiving congratulatory messages via social media from the likes of Roman Reigns, he told us more.

Such as, who he would most like to face going forward and how he wishes to defend his titles on NXT. What’s more, he also wants to make his way over to the bigger brands — Raw and Smackdown.

Watch full The South African interview here:

The French news magazine France Football, which organises the Ballon D’Or, released a statement on Monday 20 July. Firstly it announced it will not hand out this prestigious individual award this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

France Football said there was no “equity” needed to hand out the honorary title in 2020, partly because of “accounting and preparation”.

“All the award seekers will not be in the same boat,” the statement said. It also noted that some players had had a shorter season.

“Therefore, how can we establish a fair comparison? To avoid overly convoluted calculations and projections, we chose the least of the bad options.”

Fans react to Ballon D’Or cancellation

Soccer fans took to social media streets to voice their opinions about the effects of the Ballon D’Or cancellation this year.

Many tweeted that it was unfair to favourites Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, as they did not  perform well this year.

On the other hand, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandoski and Manchester City’s Kevin De-Bruyne were on form.

Many fans believe that Messi would have won, had the season been longer.

Nonetheless, contenders for this year’s awards feature several major soccer names.

Lionel Messi

Real Madrid may have won the La Liga title but that didn’t stop Messi from making history as usual. Messi is La Liga’s top goal scorer for a record seventh time, having scored 25 goals in the 2019/2020 season.

Messi also is the first player to score more than 20 goals and 20 assists in a single season. Not only this, he also made his 43^rd appearance in an El Clasico match in 2020. Plus he is the first player in the history of Spanish football to reach 500 wins.

Messi finished this season on 25 goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Juventus was up against Lazio on Monday 20 July with Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice to help his team win 2-1.

The two goals made him become the first player in history to score more than 50 goals in Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League. 

Ronaldo is also No 2 on the race for the European Golden Shoe alongside Ciro Immobile and is four goals behind Robert Lewandoski. 

Kevin De Bruyne

The Manchester City forward was directly involved in 29 Premier League goals this season and had a good season.

Robert Lewandoski

The 2019/2020 is undoubtedly Lewandoski’s best season ever in his football career. Lewandoski played 43 matches this season and scored 51 goals across all competitions making him the top scorer in every competition he’s played in, including the Champions League.

In fact, he scored 34 goals in 31 appearances which made him the top scorer in Bundesliga for his team.

And there are other names: players expected to be contenders for the prestigious award included Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, Karim Benzema and Kyllian Mbappé.

Messi, however, is the record breaking winner of the Ballon D’Or as he has won it six times.

The 33-year-old mentor spent the last three months at Chippa United. However, he left the Chilli Boys after he did not exercise his loan contract.

After having left the Chloorkop side back in 2017 to join the Soweto giants, Orlando Pirates, Rulani has made a surprising return to Sundowns.

Mokwena waiting for test results

Mokwena will join the Brazilians as soon as he receives his COVID-19 results. This is due to regulations that everyone on the soccer squad camp has to test for coronavirus.

If everything goes well he may just join the club earlier than anticipated.

“Mokwena will travel to Rustenburg to join the Brazilians in camp as soon as he has received the results for his COVID-19 test,” said the statement.

“If everything goes according to plan, he will join the team by the end of this week.

“The experienced Mokwena spent more than the years with Sundowns before embarking on a journey to coach some competitive sides in the PSL.”

Learning from Liverpool

The coach also upskilled with a course of study in Europe, where he learnt from the new English Premier League Liverpool.

Mokwena was part of the highly praised technical team that won the CAF Champions League in 2016.

Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe was one of the first to welcomed him back “home to the Mamelodi Sundowns family”, said the statement.

The club is planning to reinforce the technical team as they continue to aspire to dominate in the CAF Champions League to earn the second star for the club.

“Mokwena will add a new dimension to our already accomplished technical team and will make a valuable contribution to Sundowns,” the club statement concluded.

During the week, Buffon celebrated 19 years with Juventus FC. The club signed him at the age of 23 from another Italian side, Parma FC, at a (then) world record fee of €53 (R1 019) for a goalkeeper.

Buffon: ‘Reliving my youth’

The 42-year-old has no plans to slow down and was quoted by The Mirror, saying: “I still have the fire burning inside of me. I keep playing because I feel good and I’m competitive, plus I always want to improve.

“The moment I became No 1, that passion turned into work, an obligation not to look bad and to always remain at the top. For 15 years I set the fun aside. Now as an adult it’s as if I’m reliving my youth. This is my secret to how I can keep going.

“In the last 12 years of my career, I’ve enjoyed victories little and thought a lot about the defeats. When you’re used to winning, it seems normal. In that sense, the wins have a minor impact on you, but frustration of losing remains.”

Should he retire, he said: “I must finish my fifth grade of high school, my parents have been bothering me for 30 years.”

‘No words needed, just applause’

During a news conference after the match, Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri said that no words can describe
this big achievement and Buffon deserves applause.

“Everyone can just congratulate with Buffon for what he has done during his career.

“He’s a legend. No words needed, just applause. That’s how we welcomed him in the changing room today,
no words needed. Look at his numbers, he’s a legend.”

The Juventus players also wore jerseys with #648Uffon to honour the player.

Quick recap of some milestones reached this weekend

• Cristiano Ronaldo became the first Juventus player in 60 years to score 25 goals (so far) in a season since Omar Sìvori in the 1960/61 season.
• Barcelona reached 9 000 goals in all official competitions after scoring four goals against Villarreal on Sunday in a La Liga match.
• Ansu Fati shot straight to Barca’s history books for scoring the team’s 9 000th goal.
• Sergio Ramos appeared for the 450th time for Real Madrid. Ramos has scored five goals in Real Madrid’s last seven league wins.

Almost a decade down the line, he has 359 matches under his belt and five prestigious trophies.

He is also the captain of Liverpool Football Club and has achieved the unthinkable – he has led them to becoming the Champions of England.

After taking over the captaincy from Steven Gerrard in 2015, Henderson told BBC: “The moment I joined this club, I decided I was going to dedicate my life to it.”

Close but no Premier League win

The English team from Merseyside have come close to winning the Premier League a few times since last doing so in 1990.

But no slip-up is as talked about as the 2013/14 season. The Reds only just missed out on the title under Brendan Rodgers, with Luis Suarez up front and Steven Gerrard at the end of his glory days, leading the side out.

The infamous slip against Chelsea had Henderson watching on, at the time still deputy to the Liverpool great.

Rebuilding Liverpool under Klopp

Gerrard’s exit marked the beginning of a very difficult rebuilding period for the club when Jürgen Klopp came in as manager.

Henderson said in an interview with the Liverpool Echo this week that he was “devastated” to have missed out on the league that year.

No Liverpool captain has lifted an English Premiership title since Alan Hansen three decades ago until this year. Even though he is the current skipper, Henderson insists that no one will ever be able to do what Steven Gerrard has done for the club.

He was the on-field orchestrator behind the greatest comeback in European football in Istanbul, 2005, as Liverpool won the European Cup for a fifth time.

Gerrard’s Anfield achievements

Gerrard achieved everything but a league title in his years at the Anfield club.

Manager Klopp dedicated the title to Gerrard and Henderson reiterated how much he means to the club and fans.

“This not only for us as players and the fans but also for players like Stevie who means so much to this football club,” the Liverpool Echo quoted Henderson as saying. “I know how much it would mean to Stevie to win the Premier League title.”

Gerrard said on Instagram this week, when reflecting on handing the captain’s armband over to Henderson, that he “couldn’t have passed it to a better person”.

Henderson will become only the second captain in history to lift both the Premier League and Champions League title after Rio Ferdinand – and he will be the only one to have lifted both trophies within the space of a year.

But it doesn’t stop there for the 34-year-old Sergio Ramos who plays centre back for Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Ramos may be holding the record for a player who has appeared the most on the referees’ books in La Liga — with  20 red cards and more than 160 yellow cards overall, but the player has now made it into La Liga’s history books and  is arguably the most successful defender of all time.

Overtaking Ronald Koeman

Ramos entered the history books by overtaking Ronald Koeman as the highest-scoring defender in La Liga history and is approaching a century of goals having played 642 matches. 

In a league match against Mallorca on Wednesday night, Ramos scored the second goal of the match which helped Madrid win 2-0 and return to the top of La Liga. Los Blancos, as his team is affectionately known, are now level with second-placed Barcelona, as both the teams have 68 points. 

Zidane heaps praise on Ramos

According to The Whites website, coach Zinedine Zidane was pleased with his captain and also called for him to finish his career at the club.

“He is our captain and our leader. Defensively, he showed us the way. Then, in attack, he contributed. He often practises those free-kicks (referring to the goal he scored again Mallorca) and it paid off. He has been here many years. He needs to retire here. That’s what I think and what I’ll always.”

Twitter joy

Social media was abuzz with fans, football players and agencies congratulating Ramos for scoring 118 career goals: 

Some more Sergio Ramos’ accolades: 

1. Ramos has now racked up 300 wins for Real Madrid on the La Liga;
2. He has more career goals than some of the world’s best players. The Spaniard has scored 120 goals;
3. Ramos has been named the FIFPro World11 a record 10 times for a defender; and 
4. He has been named La Liga’s best defender a record five times. 

According to Transfermarkt, Ramos has scored more club and country goals than: 

• Philippe Coutinho – 112 goals
• Ivan Rakitic – 108 goals
• Gabriel Jesus – 102 goals
• Riyad Mahrez – 95 goals
• Dele Alli – 89 goals
• Andres Iniesta – 80 goals 
• Luka Modric – 77 goals
• Andrea Pirlo – 76 goals
• Paul Pogba – 75 goals 
• Serge Gnarby – 67 goals 

3. Ramos has been named the FIFPro World11 a record 10 times for a defender. 
4. He has been named La Liga’s best defender a record five times. 

According to HeraldLIVE, the Chilli Boys’ chief operations officer Lukhanyo Mzinzi confirmed that “the club had decided not to enter into further negotiations with Mokwena”. 

Green light for PSL

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture gave the thumbs-up on Wednesday for clubs in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to restart training, keeping their eye on the ball to complete the remaining fixtures of the 2019/20 season.

“In the midst of uncertainty and in spite of everything, including the announcement by the sports minister [Nathi Mthethwa], we as a club were uncertain as to when we will return to play. His [Mokwena] representatives kept enquiring to make sure they were certain about his future, so we let them know about our decision to allow the coach to return home to Orlando Pirates,” Mzinzi said.

Time to move on

Rulani’s agent, Steven Kapelushnick, explained to Soccer Laduma why the loan deal came to an end.

“Rulani signed a contract that terminates at the end of this month. It was imperative for him to honour his contract – even while he was there I had calls for his services from other teams and those were rejected out of hand because he wanted to honour his Chippa contract.”

Kapelushnick also explained that his client (Mokwena) gave his best at Chippa and he also had a good relationship with Chippa United boss Chippa Mpengesi

“He went to Chippa and gave 150%. He analysed the team and he had a very good understanding with Chippa [Mpengesi]. His contract is now ending and we have decided that it is time to move on. It was always a short-term contract, an exploratory contract on both sides.”

Mokwena only managed a single game as Chippa United head coach against Bidvest Wits back in March before the Premier Soccer League was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chippa United have become notorious for sacking coaches before they even settle in if results are not forthcoming.

This season alone, Clinton Larsen was sacked, as well as Norman Mapeza.

“When we signed, nobody knew that this would happen. It’s not fair to Rulani or Chippa to say he only lasted one game,” said Kapelushnick

It was Kane’s first goal in almost six months after returning from a hamstring injury. The England captain celebrated in style as he dived to the ground in front of a silent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with millions watching from around the world.

It was just his second game back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. After looking short of his best on Friday in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, the Spurs star stunningly latched onto a Son Heung-Min through pass to get one-on-one with the goalkeeper — leaving the end result inevitable.

The return of their star man could not have come sooner for Tottenham Hotspur as Jose Mourinho’s team continue their fight for a top four finish.

Just earlier this week manager Mourinho spoke about the importance of the striker to his team, comparing him to the likes of Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he has previously managed.

The Englishman could not have found a better way to silence his critics, and this is how Twitter reacted to the goal: 

Her

Here’s how Harry Kane himself felt about being back in the goals:

Djokovic confirmed the news via a statement released on his website on Tuesday 23 June.

“The moment we arrived in Belgrade we were tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena’s [his wife], while the results of our children are negative.” 

More tennis stars test positive

The Adria Tour final which was set to be between Andrey Rublev and Djokovic was cancelled after Grigor Dimitrov also tested positive for the deadly virus after his match against Borna Coric, who was also reported to have tested positive. 

The Serbian tennis star came under fire on social media after pictures of him with volunteers at the Adria Tour event in Belgrade started circulating.

‘Hugging at the net’

According to Sky Sports News, the second event of the series of tournaments was held in Croatia, which has eased down lockdown rules with players not having to practise social distancing. Players were seen hugging at the net, playing basketball, posing for pictures and attending press conferences together. 

Djokovic had organised the Adria Tour and the proceeds were to be donated to the needy and those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.

Philanthropic idea

“It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this,” Djokovic said.

“We organised the tournament at the moment when the virus had weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the tour had been met. Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with.”

The Serbian apologised for each individual case of infection and said that he hopes it will not complicate anyone’s health situation and that everyone will be fine.

“I will remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, and repeat the test in five days,” he added.

Some sports stars, football managers who have tested positive:

1. Arsenal (EPL) manager Mikel Arteta (England);
2. Flamingo manager Jorge Jesus (Brazil);
3. Juventus players Paulo Dybala, Blaise Matuidi and Daniele Rugani (Italy);
4. Valencia players and staff, including Ezequiel Garay and Eliaquim Mangala;
5. Hannover players Jammed Horn and Timo Hubers (Germany); and  
6. Toronto Maple Leafs star Austin Matthews.

#BlackLivesMatter has been the hashtag of this era, and was highlighted by the death on 25 May of George Floyd, an African-American man killed by a white policeman in Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Since his death, there have been other killings which together have stirred an outpouring of support all over the globe, from athletes to artists, for the #BLM movement. Massive crowds have protested against the systemic racism black people face at the hands of white police officers in the US and elsewhere.

Before his team’s Merseyside derby against Everton, the footballer said he was going to speak out against racism using his boots.

“Do your talking on the pitch. I’ve always loved that sentiment. But now we need to speak up in other ways as well,” Trent said in statement.

“Tonight my boots will carry the message Black Lives Matter. It can no longer just be our feet where we express ourselves. We have to use our profile and platform.”

Boots to go on auction

After their goalless draw at Everton on Sunday night, the defender confirmed on Twitter that the Black Lives Matter branded boots will go up on auction.

Alexander-Arnold will donate funds raised to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, established in 1999 with a vision of a “just society” and to fight social issues for all.

“After tonight’s game, I will be auctioning off these boots with all funds raised going to the Nelson Mandela Foundation who are doing incredible work in striving for freedom and equality for all,” Trent tweeted.

The foundation reacted to Trent’s post on Twitter saying “Thanks so much for your support, Trent. We are #StrongerTogether #BlackLivesMatter.”

Soccer’s fight against racism

The English Premier League so far has played a huge part in fighting the systemic racism in football and in society in general.

Since the resumption of the EPL after being halted by COVID-19, the players have taken the knee after the first whistle in every match, and this has included referees.

The league has also branded the back of players’ shirts with the words “Black Lives Matter”.

In addition, many players have taken the knee after scoring a goal across many leagues in Europe in protest against police brutality.

Liverpool were playing their first game after the restart of the Premier League. They are still on their quest for the first league title in 30 years, leading the pack with 83 points after 30 games. 

Now, NBA is set up for a return with a 113-page battle plan document. According to ESPN the NBA’s board of governors has approved the league’s plan for 22-team return in Florida. The plan reveals workouts begin later this month, and games start in July.

However, if you are a basketball fan in South Africa, you will know that the sport goes back a long way in this country as well.

Basketball may be not one of the popular sporting-codes in South Africa. The  big three most-watched sports are probably soccer, rugby and cricket, but it’s still got a history in this country.

Brief history of South Africa basketball

Basketball South Africa (BSA) is the governing body for men’s and women’s basketball in South Africa. BSA, formerly the Basketball Federation of South Africa (BFSA), was founded in 1953.

The sport’s world governing body, the International Amateur Basketball Federation (FIBA) expelled BSA from  international tournaments in 1980, in protest against the apartheid policies of the South African Government.

FIBA admitted BSA in 1992, when it became the youngest member of the federation.

While basketball may be under the radar in South Africa, here are a few facts about the sport in this country:

Did you know Steve Nash was born in South Africa?

Steve Nash, a former Canadian professional basketball player, played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the process he was an eight-time NBA all-star and seven-time All-NBA selection. Nash also won the coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) award twice.

Nash,was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a Welsh mother and an English father on 7 February 1974. He holds British as well as Canadian citizenship.

Thabo Patrick Sefolosha

Thabo Sefolosha, currently with the Houston Rockets of the NBA, also played for top basketball teams like the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Atlanta Hawks.

Sefolosha was born in Switzerland, but his mother is a South African musician, Christine Sefolosha. She who now lives in Europe.

Masego “Lucky” Loate

South African Masego Loate, a point guard, is a professional basketball player for the North West Eagles in the Basketball National League. Here in South Africa, Masego represented South Africa’s basketball team at the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship in Antananarivo, Madagascar. He was his team’s best three-point shooter.

Basketball National League

The BNL is the name of the men’s professional basketball league in South Africa. It was founded in 1993, later dissolving before reforming.  In 2013 it was renamed the Basketball National League.

The league has 10 clubs currently, namely:

• Eastern Cape Windbreakers
• Egoli Magic
• Kwa-Zulu Marlins
• Limpopo Pride
• Mpumalanga Rhinos
• Northern Cape Zebras
• North West Eagles
• Soweto Panthers
• Tshwane Suns
• Western Cape Mountaineers

The Soweto Panthers are current champions.

It’s been 100 days since Leicester City beat Aston Villa 4-0 at the King Power Stadium in what was the last Premier League game before lockdown.

This is the longest we have ever gone without action from the world’s most watched football league, and what better way for it to return than with fans at home and a cold front hitting us here in South Africa.

We have some time to focus on our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) teams, and with all matches broadcast live on SuperSport, we can even do some scouting when deciding which players to get into our teams.

For FPL managers, the occasion is even more joyous because — wait for it — everyone gets unlimited free transfers before tonight’s deadline!

Unlimited free transfers

That’s right, all FPL managers can make unlimited free transfers until the GW30+ deadline without playing a wildcard. All chips and wildcards will remain available to managers based on what they still have from earlier in the season.

You will notice a “+” added next to the numbers of all the remaining gameweeks, this is just to show that these have been added on from the time lost.

GW30+ is also a double gameweek, kicking off with Aston Villa vs Sheffield United and Manchester City vs Arsenal tonight, before a full round of fixtures this weekend.

So be sure to keep a closer eye on players from these four teams, as this may well be the only double gameweek before the season ends.

What about mini-leagues?

What about mini-leagues? Well, classic leagues will be continuing from where they left off before the league stopped although Head-to-Head leagues have now ended. Be sure to claim your win from your friends if you played in a Head-to-Head league.

If you didn’t do too well, the good news is that you can still make new Head-to-Head leagues for the remainder of the season, so you better get cracking for one final chance to grab a mini-league win!

New to the game, or perhaps just rusty after quarantine? Check out some tips from the official FPL Twitter page, some suggestions and even a thread of full teams set out by fellow FPL managers — it really is good to be back!

The Gameweek 30+ deadline is at 18:00 CAT tonight, one hour before  the Aston Villa vs Sheffield United kick off. All matches will be played behind closed doors but broadcast live on DStv by SuperSport.

To reach this milestone, Bale was substituted in the second half at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano which is Real Madrid’s temporary home as the Santiago Bernabeu is undergoing renovations.

Madrid won its first match 3-1 after a three-month-long break as contact sport was banned because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo Viera scored one goal each to secure Madrid’s win.

The Whites have 59 points and are now separated by 2 points with log leaders and rivals, Barcelona.

Bale received a commemorative jersey from club president after the match. 

Road to stardom

The Cardiff-born football star made his club and country debut in 2006 at the age of 16 years for Southampton in a 2-0 win over Millwall. A month later, he represented his country Wales, in a friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago.

The 30-year-old player joined Real Madrid in September 2013 for a then-world record fee of 85 million pounds.

The No 11 jersey player has to date been involved in 162 wins, scored 105 goals.

His 250 matches have come across six competitions, including La Liga, Champions League, Copa del Rey, Club World Cup and Spanish Super Cup, among others. 

Gareth Bale raking in the honours

Some of the Welshman’s honours include the Fifa Club World Cup, European Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, Football League Club and 2018 Best Player in Champions League Final.

The match was between Real Madrid and Liverpool, and according to BBC Sports, Bale scored one of European football’s greatest goals.

His magnificent overhead kick put his club 2-1 up and helped secure the club’s 13th Champions League success.   

On his seventh season, this milestone has embedded his name in the list of non-Spanish players with most appearances for Real Madrid.

Real Madrid top-14

Here is the list of top player caps:

1. Roberto Carlos (Brazil) – 527
2. Marcelo (Brazil) – 506
3. Karim Benzema (France) – 502
4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 438
5. Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina) – 396
6. Jose Santamaria (Uruguay)- 337
7. Pepe (Portugal) and Luka Modric (Croatia) – 334
8. Raphael Varane (France) – 310
9. Uwe Stielike (Germany) – 308
10. Hugo Sanchez (Mexico) – 282
11. Toni Kroos (Germany) – 267
12. Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina) – 264
13. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary) – 262
14. Gareth Bale (Wales) – 250.

This comes after the murder of unarmed American citizen George Floyd, who died at the hands of police officer Chauvin Derek in Minnesota on 25 May.

Video footage, which has led to outrage around the world, shows how Derek presses his knee into Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds while Floyd pleads for mercy, with “I can’t breathe” among his last words before dying.

Protests ignited

The crime has stirred protests about institutionalised racism in the American police force not only in that country, but across the globe. Many US states in the past two weeks have been wracked with riots as citizens protest against what is seen as the alleged continuous murder of black Americans at the hands of white racists in positions of authority.

The six-time NBA champion announced this donation amid further unrest in the US in a joint statement posted on the Nike Jordan website.

“Black lives matter. This isn’t a controversial statement. Until the ingrained racism that allows our country’s institutions to fail is completely eradicated, we will remain committed to protecting and improving the lives of black people.”

Michael Jordan

Jordan Brand: More than one man

“Jordan Brand is us, the black community. Jordan Brand is more than one man. It has always been a family. We represent a proud family. We represent family that has overcome obstacles, fought against discrimination in communities worldwide and that works every day to erase the stain of racism and damage of injustice.

“The will, the work, the excellence the world has come to know is the result of one generation after another, pouring their dreams into the next.

“It’s 2020, and our family now includes anyone who aspires to our way of life. Yet as much as things have changed, the worst remains the same.”

Commitment to #BlackLivesMatter

“Black lives matter. This isn’t a controversial statement. Until the ingrained racism that allows our country’s institutions to fail is completely eradicated, we will remain committed to protecting and improving the lives of black people.”

$100 million donation    

“Today, we are announcing that Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand will be donating $100 million over the next 10 years to organisations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education.”

Jordan Brand president Craig Williams said: “We must join forces with the community, government and civic leaders to create a lasting impact together. There is still more work for us to do to drive real impact for the black community. We embrace the responsibility.”

The atmosphere and goosebumps you get when your favourite team is playing against an old rival. Win or lose, that feeling is indescribable.

Stadiums that sizzle

South African football has improved over the years. Even the stadiums have come a long way from the dusty pitches that players used to play on.

With the announcement that the 2010 Fifa World Cup was going to be hosted on African soil for the first time via South Africa, followed news that five new stadiums were to be built in Cape Town (Cape Town Stadium), Port Elizabeth (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium), Durban (Moses Mabhida Stadium), Nelspruit (Mbombela Stadium) and Polokwane (Peter Mokaba Stadium).

To add to that, another five stadiums were upgraded to fit the standard of a world cup. This gave birth to what is arguably the best stadium in Africa, Soccer City Stadium (previously called FNB Stadium) in Johannesburg. With room to fit 94 700 spectators, the calabash-inspired stadium is the largest stadium in Africa.

Kitted out to the nines

Even the kit has turned more fashionable as Kaizer Chiefs’ home kit for 2019/2020 was voted the second-best stripe in the world.

According to Unisport, the black-and-yellow swirl edges over Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid who ranked between fourth and eighth place respectively, with Inter Milan acquiring the top spot.

Sponsors are putting in more effort to ensure that the designs are top notch.

Gone are the days where players would wear very loose-fitting jerseys with fold-over collars. Now the jerseys are more fitted with a collar design that fits tighter around the neck and chest area, showing a more symmetrical design.

Coaching excellence

Pitso Mosimane has been with Mamelodi Sundowns since 2012. Initially, he was booed at by supporters for the team’s failure to win trophies, but management put their trust in him, and he has since led the team to greater heights and has become the most decorated coach in South Africa by winning several domestic and international cups.

Furthermore, he was named the African Coach of the Year at the 2016 Glo-CAF Awards in Abuja, Nigeria. Mosimane recently signed a new deal that saw him extend his stay with Masandawana and is rumoured to rake up about R65 million at the end of the extended four years.

This type of coaching excellence serves as an inspiration to younger coaches, such as Rhulani Mokoena, who look up to him…that they too can one day reach his great stature.

African talent spreading wings

There is more African talent dominating the European fields as opposed to in the older days when it was just a handful. This includes May Mahlangu, Thulani Serero, Lebogang Phiri, Ayanda Patosi, Lebo Mothiba, Mihlali Mayambela, Pule Ekstein, Percy Tau and Bongani Zungu just to name a few.

Technological backlog

However, we cannot ignore that in terms of technology, we are still lacking.

With so many errors that referees make, the hopes of having video assistant referee (VAR) technology to introduce fairness on the pitch seems way to far-fetched because we do not even have goal-line technology, something that European teams already have had for five years.

Fans of the sport, or the WWE Universe as they are referred to, could not have asked for a better time to stay tuned into the action with the Backlash pay-per-view just weeks away. 

In a Zoom call interview from home, Bobby Lashley shared the importance of still having a go at the WWE championship title. He also voiced his thoughts on the recent cinematic matches that took the lead at WrestleMania, including the Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles.

Looking forward to Backlash brawl

Lashley spoke about how it feels to be the “superior fighter” when it comes to these fights and gave us a glimpse of what to expect at Backlash on 15 June when he will be stepping into the ring with Drew McIntyre.

We then delved into his newly formed alliance with MVP and his role in getting Lashley back to the top, before Bobby told us about his dream match with Brock Lesnar. 

Lashley expressed his excitement about the prospect of touring South Africa with the now-postponed WWE Live.

Having initially been scheduled for earlier in May, Big Concerts have announced that the event has provisionally been moved to September.

Have a look and listen at the full interview with Lashley: 

The 30-year-old Sgora, as he was affectionately known by the Abafana Bes’thende family, joined the team in August 2013 having previously played for Umngeni City. Mngwengwe played more than 140 PSL matches for his team and is believed to have died from natural causes at his Durban home although his family has yet to confirm this. 

Great shock and sadness

Golden Arrows assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi said: “The football fraternity has suffered a huge loss. He had been suffering from injuries for a while and was not playing, but he assisted other team players, especially the young ones. He will be dearly missed.”

Golden Arrows chairperson Mato Madlala received the news with great shock and sadness. 

“I am saddened by the passing away of Nkanyiso. I remember when he first arrived at Arrows as a promising footballer, full of energy. He was always ready to fight for the team and acquitted himself very well over the years.

“I would like to extend my sincere condolences to Nkanyiso’s family. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time,” said Madlala

Dead on arrival

Nkanyiso’s brother Mphathi Mngwengwe has been quoted by Kickoff, saying: “Nkanyiso woke up this morning and his body started to shake. He was shaking in his room when we got there. His wife woke us up at around 02:00 and we tried to give him first aid.

“We then took him to hospital in Maritzburg where the doctors told us he was already gone and that he had suffered heart failure. He was confirmed dead on arrival,” Mphathi added. 

Condolences stream in

Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City, Kaizer Chiefs and Bloemfontein Celtics are some of the Premier Soccer League football clubs that have conveyed their condolences and moral support to the Golden Arrows and Mngwengwe family.

The details of the centre back’s funeral are yet to be announced.  

They all concluded that it is unlikely that there will be any normal sports events for the rest of 2020 and therefore all Varsity Sports tournaments as well.

Francois Pienaar: ‘Safety of athletes, spectators our priority’

“It is unlikely that any normal sports tournaments will take place within the next 10 months,” said former World Cup-winning Springbok captain and ASEM CEO Francois Pienaar.

“We have therefore taken a decision to suspend all our sporting activities across universities until 2021. Our priority is to ensure the safety of our athletes and spectators, while also allowing universities and schools to return to the academic year.”

Ongoing monitoring of government regulations

ASEM, in the interim, will continue to monitor government regulations and is committed to ongoing communication to take place.

“We will, however, remain ready to host certain tournaments should government regulations change regarding the hosting of sports events and academic calendars allow for tournaments to take place,” Pienaar added.

Calendar for 2021

“Our focus is to work with our commercial partners, Ussa and USC to develop the best possible calendar for 2021 and reintroduced a fresh new sporting landscape for youth sports. People remain our main priority and the health of our staff, the well-being and academic success of our athletes and supports will always be placed first,” he concluded.

During these difficult times Varsity Sports will continue raising awareness of the importance of mental health through its SpeakUp campaign.

This content has been created as part of our student media project, #gig4students. We are supporting students to earn extra income while getting exposure and building their portfolio. 

If you are a student looking to contribute to The South African, read more here.

According to Sky Sports News, the French Professional Football League approved the decision at a meeting on Thursday 30 April — two days after the French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe suspended sport in the country until at least September.

LFP arranged a final table/log standings on the basis of average points per game, even though there were still 10 matches left to play.

Title dedicated to frontline workers

PSG have won the Ligue 1 title three times in a row — the 2017/2018, 2018/2019 and the 2019/2020 season. The Qatar-owned club has now won their seventh league title in the span of eight years.

PSG released a statement dedicating their title to frontline workers during this coronavirus pandemic.

“This ninth league championship title in the club’s history is dedicated by Paris Saint-German to all healthcare staff and to the thousands of frontline professionals working every day to keep the country running.”

PSG chairperson and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaïfi was quoted by Sky Sports News as saying: “I would like to thank the players, the coach, the technical and medical staff, as well as all the club’s employees, for their tremendous work. This trophy is a reward for their hard work every day.”

Lorient, Lens promoted to Ligue 1

The 19th- and 20th-placed Aliens and Toulouse have been relegated. However, Lorient and Lens who were separated by one point were both crowned as Ligue 2 champions and promoted to Ligue 1.

This content has been created as part of our student media project, #gig4students. We are supporting students to earn extra income while getting exposure and building their portfolio. 

If you are a student looking to contribute to The South African, read more here.

But not all heroes wear capes…This is a time where all sporting events had been halted indefinitely by the coronavirus and players’ salaries have come under scrutiny.

According to City Press, however, Khumalo has sacrificed his monthly salary to provide food parcels for about 300 families in Pretoria.

“This is not for personal glory,” a humble Khumalo said.

Brave move amid uncertainty

It takes a special player like him to be brave enough to donate his salary while not being certain as to when the country will emerge from the lockdown. His compassion and kindness is rare and his empathy towards the needy must be commended.

“I am in a fortunate position to do this and I hope to reach out to 300 families during this difficult time, while also paying homage to ESwatini, where my father was born,” the centre half told City Press.

“I am a co-partner in a company called U-Mask based in Centurion. My two co-founders, David Molosankwe and Jordean Eksteen, and I have decided to donate to charity.”

SA footballers doing their bit

“It’s fantastic to see how many of these footballers are trying to assist the communities where they come from and others in need during these times,” Khumalo added.

“Being a professional footballer and potentially earning large sums of money also comes with massive responsibilities –both to one’s family and the community.”

Doing just that while the economy continues its downward spiral amid the pandemic, is truly special and cannot be ignored.

This content has been created as part of our student media project, #gig4students. We are supporting students to earn extra income while getting exposure and building their portfolio. 

If you are a student looking to contribute to The South African, read more here.