SPORTS: AIRTEL RISING STARS SEASON 7 KICKS OFF IN BUSHENYI

Friday August 10^th 2018

By Aiden Graw

www.mknewlink.com

LOCAL SPORT:

Airtel Rising Stars Season 7 has today kicked off at Bushenyi Stadium in Bushenyi District, South Western Uganda.

Airtel Uganda a telecommunication company started this Football Campaign in 2011 and it is done annually where teams with players under- 17 years from Uganda face each other.

Bushenyi District Sports Coordinator, Mr.Kwerebera Bashir told www.mknewslink.com that the main aim of this tournament is to discover and develop talents among the Ugandan citizens.

Some of the players on national team whose talents were discovered via this campaign include Farouk Miya, Paul Mucureezi, Tumwesigye Frank Zaga among others.

Sixteen Teams from Kigezi, Tooro, Bunyoro and Ankole have registered and turned up for the biggest event.

Ruyonza [Host], Ishaka Rhinos, Unique School, Lions Ntungamo, Kigezi, Mbarara Sports Academy, Ibanda, Brokhen, Friends of Soccer and HOFOCAM have already arrived and some of the results of matches played so far; Lions beaten Ruyonza 1-0, while Kigezi eased to great victory past Ishaka Rhinos in a 3-0 thrashing.

This tournament will take three days where the finalists shall represent this region on National level in Fortportal Later this month.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS

MANCHESTER UNITED hosts LEICESTER CITY at Old Trafford today in EPL 2018/2019 SEASON opener

MAN UTD V LEICESTER CITY

Speaking to Manchester United’s own TV station following a 1-0 defeat by Bayern Munich on 5 August, Jose Mourinho said his side would face “a difficult season” unless they signed at least one more player.

Thirty-six hours before the 2018-19 Premier League was set to begin – United welcome Leicester to Old Trafford on Friday night – Mourinho was asked if he had the “tools to compete” with Manchester City and Liverpool.

“I know the words you want me to say,” he said. “I think by the end of November, December you won’t need words, you will see by then which teams are candidates to win the Premier League.”

Does that mean there is trouble ahead for Manchester United?

.The confidence Mourinho expressed about United getting an additional signing on 31 July during the club’s pre-season tour of the United States was based around multiple targets.

They ranged from Leicester’s Harry Maguire to Barcelona’s Yerry Mina (who subsequently joined Everton), via seasoned internationals Jerome Boateng and – briefly – Godin.

United have the money to do big deals. They were prepared to do exactly that to get a top player. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward would not have flinched had he been told £100m, a sum that would have smashed both United’s club record transfer fee and the world record for a defender, was the price to be paid for for the right man.

Mourinho warns of ‘difficult season’

But the right man never materialised. Over the course of a lengthy meeting between United and Real Madrid top brass in Miami last month, Raphael Varane never became a discussion topic because it was obvious the Champions League winners would not have sold him.

Talks about Maguire never progressed beyond the outline stage because, with no need to sell and secure in the knowledge the England man had four years left on his contract, Leicester were pushing the price upwards, to the level Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk.

Where does this leave Mourinho?

If Mourinho’s “difficult season” assessment is taken at face value, the Portuguese is heading towards a turbulent few months.

It is clear he has not got the players he wanted.

Mourinho has given youth a chance at Old Trafford but he is also of the view that if Manchester City’s dominance is going to be challenged, it must be with a core of experienced, top-quality players, who tend to be around 29 years of age with little resale value.

Those responsible for signing the cheques tend to look longer term. Paul Pogba, for instance, was bought at huge cost, £89m, and comes with an enormous social media following, 5.62m on Twitter alone. In the modern game, such things matter.

So, whether Mourinho wanted to or not – and there is no evidence he did – Pogba would not have been sold this summer, despite suggestions the Frenchman would be open to exiting Old Trafford for a second time.

United must also factor in market volatility in assessing their transfer dealings.

Neymar’s £200m move from Barcelona to Paris St-Germain 12 months ago might be dismissed as an exception. But it created a ripple effect that led to Barcelona signing Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho for £135.5m and £142m respectively.

Sir Alex Ferguson was ridiculed for saying there was “no value in the market” but United have to think seriously before adopting a “pay what it takes” stance.

Ultimately, Mourinho has at his disposal the same squad that finished runners-up last season, minus the retired Michael Carrick, and plus Brazil World Cup midfielder Fred and teenage full-back Diogo Dalot.

In addition, to his satisfaction but the chagrin of many United fans, Mourinho also has Marouane Fellaini, who ended months of speculation by signing a two-year contract at the end of June.

Source: www.mknewslink.com a greater western Uganda news website
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