Abroad: Latest instalment of the Salah show, a dozen club accolades

Man of the hour, perhaps the days, months, years and lifetimes is not showing any signs of losing his blistering form. The Egyptian forward struck again on Tuesday night in Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League victory against Manchester City to book a semi-final date with AS Roma on the 22nd of April. Football commentators now believe he has some ice in his veins because of his ever-increasing ice-cold finishes that have always proven decisive to Liverpool’s cause in this campaign. The club, Liverpool FC have awarded him a sixth Player of the Month award for March 2018. Moh Salah scored six goals in five matches in the month including the four he bagged against Watford. In similar fashion, the Premier League also merited him a third Player of the Month Award for March, becoming the first person to win a hat-trick of such awards.

Salah is the leading goal scorer in the Premier League with 29, five goals ahead of closest chaser, Harry Kane. He is on 39 goals for the season and one more goal will make him the first player to reach 40 goals for Liverpool since Ian Rush in 1986-87. Speaking at Melwood after receiving the club award, he is what the Egyptian King had to say.

“Thank you. I’m very happy to win it again, but as I said many times the most important thing is to win the games and to get the points. I always try to score to help the team to get the points.”

— Mohamed Salah

His Manager, Jurgen Klopp, also had something to say on his Premier League Player of the Month hat-trick.

“It’s deserved — it’s not that you think; Wow, how did that happen?. He is an outstanding player and we played a really good season, but he is in all the decisions — in decisive moments, he is involved.”

— Jurgen Klopp

Do you think Salah can lead Liverpool to UCL glory, an outstanding World cup campaign for Egypt and possibly win the Ballon D’or?

Old Trafford expansion put on hold

Manchester United who have had an average season this year are facing a dilemma on how to increase the capacity of their stadium. The club have been contemplating on redeveloping Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and the plans were drawn up about three times in the past 10 years but they are once again put on hold because of logistical reasons. The club are not the first to extend the capacity of their stadium as Tottenham, who are currently renting the Wembley Stadium, have already started construction at the White Hart Lane. Chelsea also will be using Wembley soon when the construction commences at the Stamford Bridge. The problem with Manchester United’s stadium is that it cannot be used while the construction takes place like how Liverpool did in Anfield. This means that they would require to use other facilities aside from their home ground and the only other option in Manchester is the stadium of their rivals. The practically of that is unlikely considering the relationship between the two clubs. That being the case, Manchester United have decided to put that project on hold once more as they look for other alternatives.

Manchester United Managing Director had this to say, “"It would be a multi-season challenge and it isn't certain that there's a way of doing it which doesn't render us homeless."

Old Trafford already has the capacity of up to 80 000 and still want more considering that there is work required to accommodate higher numbers of disabled supporters. It would be interesting to see who United will maneuver this situation if they decide to start working on redeveloping the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand.

The week of unexpected comebacks provides another thriller in Salzburg vs Lazio clash

Immobile and Lazio lose to Salzburg in the Europa League

This week proved to be a week of miracle returns as Roma sparked hope in all the teams in hope by coming back from 4-1 down to beat Barcelona 3-0 at home. What an exciting match it was and it caused a ripple effect in the world of football. Every team that was on the losing end in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League felt that they could believe just like Roma and turn around the tie to progress to the next round. Juventus tried it and came close but their dreams were crushed by Ronaldo’s last minute penalty. It did not end there as the Europa League teams were also inspired and CSKA Moscow almost ran away with but eventually went out. The same cannot be said though about RB Salzburg who came back from 4-2 defeat and beat Lazio by 4-1. Here’s how it unfolded. The Austrian side, Salzburg, started the match with an expected high intensity and were hungry for scoring many goals in the match and they nearly scored in just 5 minutes. Ciro Immobile got a chance that he should have buried in the first half which would have given Lazio the advantage when he shot straight at the goalkeeper from close range. There were no goals in the first period before Immobile made amends of his earlier attempt by rocketing a shot on the 55th minute. This seemed like it added fuel to the fire as RB Salzburg scored to level the matters just 85 seconds later when Dabbur danced around the Italian side’s defenders before and his shot was turned in by Stefan Radu. Luis Alberto will probably have a nightmare tonight when he reflects about the game as he missed a 3-on-1 opportunity on the 72nd minute which would have dashed the Austrian side’s hopes. Haidara then took a 30-yard effort that flew past Strakosha which made it 2-1 to Salzburg. Hwang Hee-Chan scored the third from a deflection which meant that both teams were level on aggregate but RB Salzburg had the advantage on away goals rule. They did not want to rely on that as Stefan Lainer made sure that Lazio would go home by scoring the fourth goal which saw Lazio lose 4-1. This means that the Italian club are out of the competition which is disappointing.

So near but yet so far for CSKA Moscow as they are knocked out by Arsenal

Arsenal went into the match with what they thought was a comfortable win after beating CSKA Moscow 4-1 at home. The club did not have Xhaka and Mkhitaryan who have been crucial to their success in the Europa League thus far. Elneny started in midfield with Wilshere and Ramsey and it was the Egyptian who would save Arsenal on the night. The match kicked off and the English side showed they were not interested in attacking because of the way they were playing the sideways passes. The gunners did not invest much into the first half with their closest chance of scoring only came from Lacazette who got his shot blocked for a corner kick. The belief of a win started to grow on the Russian side as the team started to take shots at Petr Cech. The aging goalkeeper eventually conceded a goal in the 39th minute when Chalov tapped into the net after Cech had punched the ball out from a shot and his defenders did not react quick enough. Kristijan Bistrovic’s furious half-volley shot almost made it 2-0 before the break but it sailed just wide. After the break, Moscow scored the second through Nababkin with an almost similar goal to the first. Egyptian midfielder, Mo Elneny, took up the responsibilities of creating chances in a match were Ozil was marked as he played a nice one-two with Welbeck before sliding a beautiful through ball that was coolly finished by the English forward. Danny Welbeck deserved that goal after doing the most of the defender who was marking him on the left flank prior to the goal. Ramsey scored the second for the gunners to make it 2-2 when Elneny again, slid a ball that passed two defenders and was met by the Welshman who chipped the ball over the goalkeeper. Many expected him to pass it to Ozil there who was in a better position to score but who cares now that the ball is in the back of the net. Another African player rescues an English club’s dream of European glory this season. One must wonder how much talent really is in that continent when these big clubs still wait for the African players to save them.

Atletico Madrid played Lisbon in the same competition today and lost the match 1-0. This means that they have gone through with a 2-1 aggregate. Both Atletico Madrid and Arsenal will be hoping to avoid each other in the semifinals. The UEFA Europa League draw will be held on Friday and only then will we find out about the teams that will face each other. Marseille and RB Salzburg are the other teams who have made it to this stage. Good luck at the draw!

World Cup Rush: Egyptian fan cycles to Russia

No one is better prepared for the World Cup than a Pharaohs fan who goes by the name Nufal. If anything, Russia 2018 might not actually be ready for the Egyptian. He set up his bike with all the necessary kit including items such as spare parts, extra phones, camping gear and batteries and is already en route to the European country. Nufal’s journey is expected to take 65 days, passing through Jordan, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. He will fly over Syria for security reasons, in light of the ongoing civil war.

Nufal began his journey on Saturday from Tahrir Square and was sent off by friends as well his mother. He hopes that along the way, he will meet hospitable homes who will be happy to have him.

“It’s about the road more than the arrival. If it were just about the World Cup, I would take a plane. It is a great chance for me to see new things.”

— Nufal

Do you know any friends who are as crazy about the world cup as Nufal and ourselves?

Real Madrid through to the semis

Real Madrid went into the match with a 3-0 advantage inspired by Ronaldo’s brace in the first leg. That was then, Mandzukic came into the match and scored in the 2nd minute just as Salah did last night. Juventus were out for blood in the Bernabeu and were pushing for more. Real Madrid had their fair chances as well even though a couple of them were ruled offside and the rest were saved by Buffon. The Old Ladies seemed to have the perfect recipe for success as they score the second through Mandzukic again. Real Madrid clearly missed a force in Ramos at the back as the defence looked disorganized and failed to deal with their opponents’ play. Zidane made big calls at half time as he replaced Gareth Bale with Vazquez and removed Casemiro for Asensio. Still, Juventus had the upper hand. Navas was forced to make a save from Higuain’s effort from 20 yards after the player took a shot on the half-turn. The match was intense and saw more than 7 yellow cards being flashed by Michael Oliver who was officiating on the night. Douglas Costa then crossed the ball from the right and Navas looked to have saved the ball before it slipped through his hands and it bounced off Matuidi’s knee and into the net. 3-0 it was and Real Madrid were nervous. Zidane made his final call from the bench and replaced Modric with Kovacic in a match that looked to be heading for extra-time. Little did we know that a big decision would be made by Michael Oliver as he pointed to the spot when Vazquez looked to be pushed by Benatia in the box. The game paused for a while as Juventus players took 3 minutes of the time, protesting at the decision which resulted in a red card being flashed at Buffon. So much for the final bow for the player who is rumored to be retiring at the end of this season. Eventually, the big man had to step over it and finish Juventus off. Ronaldo’s penalty hit the back of the net in the top right corner and Szczęsny  (the backup goalkeeper) guessed right but he could not stop the effort. 3-1 it ended and Real Madrid are through to the semifinals. This goal makes it 10 for Ronaldo against Juventus which means that he is the highest goalscorer against a single team in the history of the UEFA Champions League. Lionel Messi is just behind with 9 goals against Arsenal. Do you think Real Madrid deserved to go through?

Panathinaikos players go on strike

Greece has seen some controversy in the past few weeks with the gun incident, the banishment of players and now we hear of a strike from the players in the Greek League. The Athens club, Panathinaikos, have gone on strike over unpaid salaries. The player signs a contract handed to them by the club and expect the club to hold their end of the deal while the players play their skins out on the pitch. The Panathinaikos players had been quiet and had given the benefit of the doubt to the club when they failed to pay December’s installments in 2018. The reasons behind that the decision, we do not know, but the repercussions are what we see as the players started the strike on Monday. Panathinaikos have won the Greek league 20 times and are currently 9th in the league. It is quite shocking why a club with such rich history, refuses to pay their players what is due. This club received a 3 point penalty last week after having failed to pay the debt they owe to former German defender, Jens Wemmer. In this case, they have been forced to respond ahead of time and are expected to pay the players on Thursday. Training will resume as scheduled and the club will play their match against Atromitos who currently sit in 4th place. Should clubs have to wait for extreme measures in order to live up to their deal?

Ian Wright talks about Anthony Martial

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright shares his thoughts on one of Manchester United’s players. Anthony Martial joined Manchester United back in 2015 from Monaco in a deal worth £36m. The player was an instant hit at the Old Trafford as Van Gaal trusted the player to lead the front and the then 19 year old managed to score 11 goals before being shifted to the left of the front three. Martial showed promise of being the go-to-man for the team in the post Ferguson era. Jose Mourinho took over the reigns in 2016 and he had different ideas. Mourinho had faith in other players like the emerging Rashford and Mata. This season, Jese Lingard has moved ahead of Martial in the pecking order and the addition of Alexis Sanchez in the winter transfer window proves that the player is not trusted to lead the attack by the coach. Martial has however, showed that he can deliver even as the centre forward as he scored a couple of goals in the absence of Romelu Lukaku. Wright believes that if United have to let one go between Martial and Rashford, then the Frenchman should be sacrificed. Craig Bellamy backed the former Arsenal legend in saying that he should be doing much more. Martial has the pace and the trickery to beat defenders but is not doing enough when asked to play out wide. Manchester City have done a good job with just as much quality in the front as United but somehow, the Red Devils have failed to make it work. United will not be willing to sell Martial to their rivals so it probably looks like the player would be looking for a move abroad. Do you think United owe Martial a little bit more than he is getting at the moment? Where do you want to see him playing next season? Leave your comments below.

Champions League Quarter-Finals: Juventus vs Real Madrid

• All the second leg games, except for Sevilla vs Bayern, feature teams attempting to turn the first leg defeats around. Juventus will attempt to mount a comeback against arguably one the most potent counterattacking sides in all of Europe. An unfortunate red card for Dybala in this last game means that Juventus will be without their star man, who scored a hattrick at the weekend against Benevento. Madrid meanwhile will look to wrap up this tie after a 1-1 draw in the Madrid derby at the weekend. Zidane rested Isco, Casemiro, Modric and removed Cristiano midway into the second half with an eye on this return leg in Turin. Cristiano scored perhaps the best goal of his career in the last game and has had an incredible return to form in 2018. Bale, however, looks set to return to the bench after starting against Atletico in the Madrid Derby assuming Zidane’s pattern of rotations is anything to go by. Allegri will no doubt create a plan to give his side their best chance, and he will hope Higuain can make the difference against one of his former sides. Juventus will come into this game knowing that they have won the last four two-legged knockout ties when these two teams have met. However, Madrid will feel confident that they have one foot in what could be their eighth successive semi-finals appearance.

Key Match Points

• Cristiano may have had his struggles early on this season, but they never affected his Champions League form. He is the first player to have scored in all six group games, with the 9 goals he contributed, and he scored in both games last round. Scoring in this second leg will continue this impressive streak he is on.
• Sergio Ramos will be suspended for this second leg and it will be interesting to see how Zidane shapes up his starting XI, but Ramos’s leadership and experience will be a big loss for Madrid.
• Madrid’s form in 2018 has coincidentally or not so coincidentally coincided with Cristiano’s return to his magnificent form. The draw at the weekend against Atletico Madrid ended a streak of six consecutive victories in all competitions.
• Dybala is suspended but both Pjanic and Benatia will be available for this second leg. Both players were sorely missed in the first legs if the current aggregate score is anything to go by.
• Juventus will be playing to keep their treble hopes alive. After mounting a comeback against Napoli in Serie A to reassume first place, and booking a spot in the Coppa Italia final against AC Milan, a comeback victory would prolong their hope of winning a treble.

Champions League Quarter-Final Overview: Bayern vs Sevilla

• After a rough start in the first leg, Bayern assumed control of the tie with a 2-1 victory in Seville. They will be fully expecting to advance to the semi-finals but Sevilla have consistently surprised their opponents in this competition this season. A 3-3 draw in Liverpool during the group stage and a dramatic 2-1 victory in Old Trafford last round to knock out Manchester United means that Jupp Heynckes will be fully aware of how dangerous Sevilla can be, especially away from home. Bayern won their sixth consecutive league title at the weekend with a come from behind victory against Augsburg. Meanwhile, Sevilla suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat against Celta Vigo at the weekend, although Montella played a heavily rotated side. Experience will be an interesting differentiator in this second leg, and although Sevilla will most certainly attempt to mount a comeback, Bayern will look to seal the tie at home. With only one quarterfinal appearance in the last 60 years, in contrast with this being Bayern’s seventh consecutive quarterfinal, Heynckes will have confidence in doing what Mourinho could not do last round. Bayern’s last two home games ended in 6-0 victories. However, with their history against Spanish sides, and Sevilla’s form away from home in this competition, this tie is far from over.

Key Match Points:

• Interestingly enough, Bayern historically has typically struggled against Spanish sides in this competition. Their record is 9 wins to 10 losses, and they were knocked out by Real Madrid at this stage of the competition last season.
• Jupp Heynckes has only ever been involved in 2 other Champions League campaigns and he won both of them. Bayern, like Barcelona, Juventus, and Manchester City, is still playing for a treble and last won one under Heynckes.
• Sevilla has a strong record against German competition, with five wins from nine visits. They will be hoping that a now available Ever Banega can pull the strings for their comeback.
• A rested Lewandowski will look to continue his wonderful season and goal scoring form. He has netted hat tricks in the last two home games for Bayern.

World Cup Rush: Barcelona forward keen represent Morocco

Barcelona forward, Munir El Haddadi, who is currently on loan at Deportivo Alaves has challenged FIFA Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision to reject his application to switch nationalities. Munir was a substitute in Spain’s European Championship Qualifier in September 2014 but has now opted to play for The Lions of the Atlas, his parents’ country of origin.

The Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has backed Munir’s appeal and will get a ruling by mid-May "in order for the player's sporting nationality to be decided prior to the commencement of the 2018 World Cup".

"Following the hearing, the panel will deliberate and issue a decision in the form of an arbitral award.” - FIFA Cas

The 22-year-old has appeared 32 times for Alaves this season scoring eleven goals and registering six assists in all competitions. He will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to the Moroccan squad who have to battle Spain, Portugal, and Iran in their group B encounters.

Reiss Nelson close to signing new deal

The young Arsenal forward who has been on everyone’s lips since his pre-season match against Benfica, has been handed a couple of first team appearances this season. The player was primarily deployed in the right-wingback position in a make-shift 3-4-3 formation when the manager wanted to rest Bellerin and the Ox before he left for Liverpool. He has made 15 appearances in total and his full debut in the EPL came in the last match between Arsenal and Southampton which was played at the Emirates and he was placed in a more advanced position i.e. right wing. Reiss Nelson is an energetic 18 year old winger who has the confidence of beating any defender he comes against. The player has revealed that the club have decided to reward him with a new contract after his decent performances for Arsenal and he is willing to sign it.

Here’s what he had to say, “It is a big achievement to sign for a big club like Arsenal so I'm just delighted with the contract and hopeful that I can sign it soon.”

The England under 19 player was one of the many names that were anticipated to be handed first team opportunities by Wenger after the club fell back in the top 4 race and the club shifted their focus towards qualifying for the UEFA Champions League through the Europa League.  

Salah returns and shutters Manchester City’s hopes

The two clubs met in the second leg of the clash where Manchester City were hopeful of not cutting down the 3-0 deficit from the first but also to turn around the tie into their favor and qualify to the next round. People were interested in finding out if Salah was going to start the match or not after picking up a groin injury in the first leg of this clash. It was a relief for the Liverpool fans when they heard that their start man was available for contention. Pep Guardiola made changes to the team that played the away leg as he introduced Raheem Sterling and Laporte back to the squad ahead of Gundogan and Kompany. The shocking omission was Aguero who was benched for Jesus in an attacking team filled with pacey forwards. The match kicked off with high expectations on both teams to produce an amazing performance.  Manchester City was off to a good start as they dispossessed Van Dijk and Sterling fed Jesus to score the first. It was 1-0 after 3 minutes and Liverpool were definitely parking. Manchester City dominated the first half and created many chances that should have hit the back of the net. Bernardo Silva hit the post once and Sane put the ball into the net but the ball was controversially ruled offside. City really felt hard done in a match that was intense and saw the referee producing about 5 yellow cards and saw Pep Guardiola being sent to the stands for his outrageous reaction at half-time. Arteta was under pressure as he was the man-in charge and Liverpool scored an equalizer through Salah after Mane’s brilliant run. The Manchester club had a mountain to climb as they needed to score 4 more goals to qualify. Aguero was introduced at the expense of David Silva but the damage was done. The match ended 2-1 to Liverpool after Firmino scored the second on the 77th minute which means that Liverpool are through to the semifinals with a 5-1 aggregate score. The Egyptian has once again made the difference in a big match as he scored a killer blow. It has been a while since Africa had a player that would contend for the Ballon d’Or. Mo Salah is a contender this year. What’s your take?

In other news, Barcelona were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League after losing 3-0 to Roma away from home. Roma had scored an away goal in their first leg where they lost 4-1. The scorers on this day were De Rossi, Dzeko and Manolas. Roma had enough to eliminate Barcelona by overturning a 3-0 deficit for the first time in the history of the UEFA Champions League.

Torres to leave Atletico at the end of the current campaign

Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres has confirmed that he will be leaving the club at the end of this season. The striker rejoined Atletico Madrid in 2015 after playing for Liverpool and Chelsea in the English Premier League. The player was an instant hit at the Merseyside club before moving to Chelsea as he scored 65 goals in 102 league appearances. By the time he joined Chelsea, the player was already suffering from an injury which kept him out for some time before returning to the first team fold. Eventually, he made his way back to feature for his club but he was never the same player again. Torres struggled to replicate his form from his old club and it was evident that he was a 50m flop added to the list of big money strikers that moved to Chelsea and failed to make it. Fernando Torres finally got his wishes of returning to his boyhood club Atletico in 2015 and he could not miss it. He was called back by the coach, Diego Simeone, whom he had played with during his first stint at the club. This move saw the resurgence of a player who became important for the club especially in crucial games like the Madrid derby and against Barcelona as well where he scored a number of goals that terrorized the opponents. ‘El Nino’ as he is nicknamed, has amassed 92 goals so far for Atletico Madrid in both stints. He has seen limited opportunities at his club of his dreams especially after the club brought back another prodigal son in Diego Costa who had left for Chelsea. Torres vowed that he will still be playing football next season but it will not be in Atletico colors. The player still feels good and wants to contribute more than what he is doing in Atletico. Whom do you think needs a striker like him in the summer?

Allardyce to meet with a frustrated Rooney

Former England and Manchester United captain, Wayne Rooney was furious at his boss for taking him out of the match between Everton and Liverpool on the 57th minute. The striker-turned-midfielder is used to being the focal point of the team and did not expect Sam Allardyce to sub him off the pitch especially in the Merseyside derby which is every club fan’s joy to play in. Sam Allardyce made comments in the post-match commentary box and he said that no player is too big to be subbed off. The coach, however, defended his decision saying that it was for the best of the team and that Everton became more attacking and created more opportunities to score, but Rooney could have been that man to score those goals. The former England international has seen a reduced number of minutes ever since Allardyce took over from Koeman. This is even after their record signing picked up an injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Allardyce is quoted to have said this to talkSPORT, “That was too much for him to take and he had to show his frustration. We'll sit down in the next week and we'll talk it through and we'll see how he feels. I'm sure he's calmed down a little bit now.”

The coach wants to sit down with the experienced player who left Manchester United for Everton this season. He wants to have a conversation about it in a calmer environment after what happened on Saturday. He believes the player has cooled down now and would probably discuss so as to manage expectations from both parties and prevent such disappointments that lead to outrageous decisions that can disrupt the dressing room. Whom do you think is to blame in this case? Did Allardyce owe more to Rooney that what he gave him? Should the player have kept his cool and express his frustrations behind closed doors? Drop your comments below.

Klopp hopeful of Salah return

Liverpool are still not sure if their man of the moment is fit to play against Manchester City in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals. The player helped his squad in the 3-0 win at Anfield as he scored one and provided for fellow African player, Sadio Mane to score. Jurgen Klopp admits that he is not as sure as everyone else about whether Salah will make it to the match and that they will find out only a couple of hours before the kickoff. The player has been training with the athletic coach of Liverpool on Monday and is still yet to have a session with the whole squad after picking up a groin injury in the first leg of this clash which has kept him out ever since. This injury is probably distracting the tactics of the German coach who is planning on shutting down the attack of City as they keep a high intensity that will allow them to dispossess Pep Guardiola’s squad. Salah, as well as two Liverpool, left backs, Alberto Moreno and Andrew Robertson were not available for the derby on Saturday and there is hope that they will return fit for the decider on Tuesday night. Will Liverpool have enough to finish the job and knock out Manchester City from the UEFA Champions League?

2018 Prix Marc-Vivien Foe Award: Celebrating African players in Ligue 1

Since 2009, Radio France International and France 24 compile a list of the top performing African footballers in the Ligue 1 which will be subjected to a voting process to decide the ultimate winner at the end of every season. This year's 13-man shortlist has been announced and Burkina Faso’s Bertrand Traore, Togo’ Mathieu Dossevi and Cape Verde’s Julio Tavares are the early favorites to walk away with the award.

Last year’s winner, Jean Michael Seri is also on the list, looking to emulate his countryman, Gervinho who won the award in two consecutive years (2010-11). Lyon’s marksman, Bertrand Traore has enjoyed his maiden season in France, scoring on nine occasions and registering two assists. Tavares has eleven goals to his name while Dossevi has the fifth highest joint assists tally, sitting at eight.

Here is the full list of the 13 finalists:

• Keita BALDÉ DIAO (AS MONACO / SENEGAL / Forward / 23 years old)

• Matthieu DOSSEVI (FC METZ / TOGO / Midfielder / 30 years old)

• Max-Alain GRADEL (TOULOUSE FC / CÔTE D'IVOIRE / Forward / 30 years old)

• Gaël KAKUTA (AMIENS SC / DR CONGO / Midfielder / 26 years old)

• Wahbi KHAZRI ( RENNAIS STAGE / TUNISIA / Forward / 27 years old)

• Moussa KONATÉ (AMIENS SC / SENEGAL / Forward / 25 years old)

• Nicolas PÉPÉ (LOSC LILLE / COTE D'IVOIRE / Forward/ 22 years old)

• Jean Michaël SÉRI (OGC NICE / COTE D'IVOIRE / Midfielder / 26 years old)

• Julio TAVARES (DIJON FCO / CAPE VERDE / Forward / 29 years old)

• Karl TOKO EKAMBI (SCO ANGERS / CAMEROON / Forward / 25 years old)

• Bertrand TRAORE (OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS / BURKINA FASO / Forward / 22 years old)

• Hamari TRAORÉ (RENNAIS STAGE / MALI / Defender / 26 years old)

• André-Frank ZAMBO ANGUISSA (OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE / CAMEROON / Midfielder / 22 years old)

The winner will be announced on the 14th of May.

Previous winners of the award include Marouane Chamakh, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Vincent Enyeama, Gervinho, Andre Ayew, Younes Belhanda and Jean Michael Seri.

This award was named the Prix Marc-Vivien Foe award in 2011, in honor of the Cameroon International, Foe, who passed away on 26 June 2003 on the lawn of the Gerland Stadium in Lyon whilst representing the Indomitable Lions in the Confederations Cup tournament.

Abroad: Harry Kane desperate to beat Salah to the golden boot

Tottenham and English striker, Harry Kane has revealed his intentions to try and catch up with Egyptian trickster, Mohamed Salah on the race to the English Premier League top goal scorer award. Kane claimed Spurs’ second goal in their 2-1 win away at Stoke City. However, the Premier League Goals Accreditation panel gave the goal to Kane’s Danish teammate, Christian Eriksen. In a post-match interview, the English forward alluded that the Eriksen’s free kick brushed off his shoulder before hitting the back of the net.

“I swear on my daughter’s life that I touched the ball, but there’s nothing I can do. If they turn it around, they turn it around. If they take my word, they take my word.”

— Harry Kane

Tottenham have made a decision to lodge an appeal to the Premier League to review their decision for Kane to be awarded the goal. The 24-year-old was starting his first match for Spurs since 11th of March after being sidelined with an injury. He is currently on 24 EPL goals, five behind Salah who would win the golden boot in his first season at Liverpool if Kane fails to catch up. The Tottenham man is hunting his 3rd consecutive golden boot to equal Thierry Henry’s EPL record and very much believes he can still get the job done. But with Salah firing across all cylinders, only time will tell.

When asked about Mo Salah, Kane replied:

“I’ve got to focus on my game. I can’t control what he does. Obviously, as a striker, it would be great to win the golden boot again and I will keep working hard from now until the end of the season”

— Harry Kane