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Patrice Evra has been reflecting on his time at Manchester United, admitting that youngsters of today would consider boot cleaning to be a form of “slavery”. In his era at Old Trafford, the opportunity to make sure that Cristiano Ronaldo graced the field with sparkling footwear was a “reward”. Times have changed quickly, with CR7 now in charge of organising his own scrubbing.

Players from Amakhosi have found it increasingly difficult to break into the national team setup in recent years. Not a single player from the Soweto giants featured in the South Africa squad for the last two AFCON editions, underlining the widening gap between the club and their PSL rivals, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, who dominate Hugo Broos' side. That absence has raised concerns that performance standards at Amakhosi may have dipped compared to previous eras.

Over the years, the buying and selling of club statuses has often been viewed as disruptive to the South African league, whether through a decline in competitiveness or bitter disputes that follow. Lately, the Dube Birds and Bahlabane Ba Ntwa have taken centre stage in the latest chapter of that ongoing debate.

Bruno Guimaraes will spend an extended period on the sidelines with injury and could miss many as eight to ten weeks out of action in a huge blow for Newcastle United. The Magpies skipper suffered a hamstring injury during Tuesday's 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League after recovering from a separate ankle issue, and is now set to spend at least two months out of action in a hammer blow.

The South African tactician made an emotional return to the country to face his former side, a club that gave him a platform to become a top coach and a team he won a number of titles with. His mission to South Africa was a high-stakes encounter against Masandawana in search of at least a draw that was enough to send his team to the knockout phase. However, his former side was too strong for the Algerian outfit, who eventually crashed out of the continental competition.

Lionesses star Ella Toone is "probably" going to miss Manchester United's League Cup final clash with Chelsea next month, Red Devils boss Marc Skinner has admitted. The England international has not played since December because of a hip issue and it is unlikely that she is going to recover in time for the showpiece event, meaning she is all-but-ruled out of the Lionesses first camp of 2026, too.

Nottingham Forest have confirmed the appointment of their fourth permanent manager in the 2025-26 campaign. Premier League history has been made there, with Vitor Pereira taking over at the City Ground. He follows in the immediate footsteps of Sean Dyche, with Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou having previously been relieved of their duties on Trentside.

A turbulent period for Marseille has delivered more drama, with disgruntled supporters trying to storm presidential suites at Stade Velodrome. A furious stampede took place following a 2-2 draw with Strasbourg in Ligue 1. Said contest saw Mason Greenwood among the goals again, but Marseille threw away a commanding lead to drop two points in dramatic fashion.

Luis Enrique stood up for Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele and claimed the Frenchman's scathing comments were merely "the result of anger" after his side lost 3-1 at Rennes in Ligue 1 on Friday to forfeit top spot to Lens. Ballon d'Or winner Dembele claimed his team-mates were thinking of themselves above the team after the defeat, but Enrique emphasised these comments mean nothing and should be moved on from.

Harry Kane has been rewriting the history books again, becoming the first Englishman to reach 500 career goals. That is some achievement from the prolific Bayern Munich striker, as he has bettered the exploits of iconic figures such as Sir Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney. The 32-year-old frontman has revealed his next target.

Cesc Fabregas launched a stunning rant towards Como striker Alvaro Morata on Saturday after the Spaniard picked up two yellow cards in two minutes to see his marching orders in his side's 2-1 defeat to Fiorentina. Morata had been introduced as a second-half substitute but lost his cool to pick up two rapid bookings as his side searched for an equaliser, leading to harsh criticism from Fabregas, who suggested the striker should "change careers".

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany believes Harry Kane is more interested in retaining the Bundesliga title than breaking Robert Lewandowski's record for most goals in a season, though conceded the England captain could well have one eye on making history. Kane scored twice in Saturday's 3-0 win away at Werder Bremen to take his season tally to 26 in the German top flight.

The tension surrounding the much-anticipated clash escalated on match day, with further drama on the touchline. While the Tshwane giants progressed in their CAF Champions League campaign, both technical teams were involved in a heated confrontation that drew attention from officials.

Harry Maguire's Manchester United team-mates hope that the defender is offered a new contract and stays on beyond the end of this season, a report has revealed, as the 32-year-old nears the end of his Old Trafford deal. The defender sees his contract run out this summer and his future remains unresolved, though his team-mates apparently think it would be "madness" if the 64-cap England international is not kept on at the Red Devils.

The Glamour Boys came into the fixture at Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia just needing a draw to progress. They fell 2-1 to Zamalek and exited the CAF Confederation Cup at the group stage. Now, as the dust settles, fans have taken to social media to vent their feelings over the result and Amakhosi's performance.

Tottenham Hotspur icon Harry Redknapp has told the club's new head coach Igor Tudor he must get the squad onside with a 'pat on the back' if they are to avoid relegation. Spurs sacked Thomas Frank on Wednesday after finding themselves only five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone, with Tudor appointed as his replacement on a contract until June.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has heaped praise on Mohamed Salah for his starring role in their 3-0 win against Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday evening. Strikes from Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai saw the Reds build a commanding 2-0 lead, before Salah, who ran the show, capped off proceedings from the penalty spot.

Wayne Rooney launched a scathing attack on the standard of officiating in the FA Cup on Saturday, as Newcastle United overcame Aston Villa 3-1 in the fourth round despite multiple game-changing decisions going against them in the absence of VAR. The former Manchester United striker was particularly critical of a decision which saw a free kick given for a Lucas Digne handball which was clearly 'three yards inside' the penalty area.

The Glamour Boys recovered from a poor start in Group D to come into the fixture at Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia with a good chance to progress but succumbed 2-1 to the White Knight and were eliminated from the competition. It was a result that did not sit well with Brian Baloyi who lashed out at the club's management.

Fawaz Al-Hasawi, the former owner of Nottingham Forest, is recovering after being stabbed by masked robbers during a home invasion. The attack took place at Al-Hasawi's London mansion worth a reported £10 million ($13.7m). The Kuwaiti businessman is best known in England for his time in charge of Forest, purchasing the club in 2012 before selling it on five years later.

The Moroccan mentor has repeatedly expressed concerns over his players’ finishing struggles in recent weeks. Even while winning their matches with convincing scorelines, Ouaddou’s warning-based statistics remain evident. Once again, the team failed to show real improvement, leaving the coach’s frustrations unaddressed.

Liverpool have been warned that star midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai harbours ambitions of playing for Real Madrid at some point in his career. Szoboszlai's contract runs until 2028 and the reigning Premier League champions want to keep him, with talks over a new deal taking place. However, comments from Hungary manager Marco Rossi could sour the mood at Anfield.

Trent Alexander-Arnold marked his return from a lengthy injury absence by registering an assist as Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 4-1 to climb to the top of La Liga. The England international had not started for over two months due to a thigh problem, but immediately influenced proceedings, setting up the opening goal inside five minutes and earning praise from head coach Alvaro Arbeloa.

Liverpool are by no means back to their best. And nor is Mohamed Salah. But there were enough positive signs from both in Saturday night's 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over Brighton to suggest that this most trying of seasons might actually end on a positive note for the Reds. Arne Slot's men were actually quite flat in the first half, perhaps exhausted from the effort required to end Sunderland's unbeaten home record in the Premier League in midweek, but they still went into the interval ahead thanks to Curtis Jones' close-range finish from Milos Kerkez's cross.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted Erling Haaland is not fully fit after the FA Cup win over Salford, raising concerns over the striker's long-term availability. The Norwegian was withdrawn at half-time against Fulham after suffering a knock, and his fitness is now being assessed daily, offering potential encouragement to Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has apologised to the Glazers and the wider public after his controversial remarks about immigration in the United Kingdom sparked online outrage, and also raised concerns over Manchester United’s image, sponsor relations, and a potential new stadium project in the near future.

The Portuguese coach went into Saturday’s match with mounting pressure, staring at the embarrassing possibility of failing to steer the Brazilians into the tournament’s knockout rounds. However, Madsandawana rose to the occasion with a crucial victory that kept their campaign alive. The result allowed their tactician to breathe a huge sigh of relief as the immediate threat to his position appeared to have eased.

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Al-Nassr’s starting line-up and scored against Al-Fateh after missing two matches amid a dispute over finances and transfer backing in the Saudi Pro League. The club captain was on strike after title rivals Al-Hilal signed former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema, while his own side was restricted in how they could move during the transfer market.

The Glamour Boys recovered from a poor start in Group D to come into the fixture at Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia with a good chance to progress. For the White Knight, the only option was to secure maximum points to be sure of advancing as pool winners regardless of the outcome between Al Masry and ZESCO United.