United News of Bangladesh

In the working-class neighborhood where Spain’s teenage phenom Lamine Yamal grew up, there are two soccer fields divided by a chain-link fence. Next to the green carpet of the local soccer club, local lore has it that Yamal played with his friends on a small concrete slab where boys and girls now come daily to have a kickaround. Balls fly through the net-less goal frame and smack into a wall bearing the neighborhood's name in big graffiti-style letters: Rocafonda. But Yamal’s days of playing pickup games vanished as he blossomed into global soccer’s newest rising star. Now instead of watching him from a bench, his neighbors will gather around televisions, smart phones, or a large screen installed in a park come Sunday to root for Yamal to lead Spain to victory over England in the final of the European Championship. “He can no longer just take a walk down the street,” said Juan Carlos Serrano, the owner of small bar where Yamal’s father would bring him for breakfast before taking the 90-minute train ride south to practice with Barcelona, the club he joined at age 7. “The people are just all over him, and he is just 16 years old. He is just a kid,” Serrano said. “People are just now discovering him, but we knew long before that he was going to stand out.” The fervor caused by Yamal has also swept up his father, Mounir Nasraoui, who made a visit to see Serrano before going to Germany to celebrate his son’s 17th birthday on Saturday. “I am proud and happy,” Nasraoui told The Associated Press while sitting at a table under the framed shirt of Yamal's debut with Barcelona's reserve team, making him the youngest player to do so at age 15. Yamal quickly topped that with precocious debuts and scoring milestones for Barcelona’s senior team and for Spain. “I always thought he would get this far, but I kept that to myself," Nasraoui said. "Every father thinks that his son will be the best. Whether that will prove true, that depends on the destiny of each one of us.” As for Sunday’s final, his dad said: “We will win for sure.” Three-zero-four Yamal holds up three fingers and makes a circle with his index finger and thumb, while extending four fingers on the other hand. Arms crossed over this chest, he flashes a smile — glimpse of braces included — to put the finishing touch on his particular goal celebration. While undecipherable to millions of spectators, the peculiar hand sign Yamal made after scoring his first goals for club and country represented the last three digits of the postal code of Rocafonda: 304. Rocafonda is home to 10,000 of the 130,000 people who live in Mataro, a coastal town north of Barcelona. From the streets of the hilly area a blue strip of the Mediterranean Sea can be seen in the distance. The diversity of Rocafonda, and a patchwork of similar neighborhoods in cities across Spain, is reflected on the streets. Immigrants run several of the local shops. Kids from all backgrounds play soccer while men in Muslim gowns trickle past on their way to a nearby mosque. Son of a Moroccan father and a mother from Equatorial Guinea, Spain's former colony in sub-Saharan Africa, Yamal helps represent a new, multicultural Spain, a country undergoing a demographic shift where people immigrate while Spain’s birth rate plummets. “The (304 hand sign) has become popular across all the city, not just the Rocafonda neighborhood,” said Rocafonda alderman José Antonio Ricis. “People from different postal codes are equally thrilled that he remembers the city, his neighborhood, his people.” Anointed by MessiAfter being spotted by a scout, Yamal entered Barcelona's famed La Masia training academy, where he would follow in the footstep of his idol, Lionel Messi. The two players had already been linked by fate — or the soccer gods? — thanks to a photo shoot for a charity calendar that featured a long-haired Messi bathing a baby Yamal in a tiny plastic tub. The 2007 photo recently resurfaced after Yamal’s father posted it online, causing a huge stir in both professional and social media with many fans seeing the chance encounter as a sort of anointing by Messi of his heir apparent. “These are coincidences that happen in life, and later, it turns out this boy is good at soccer," Nasraoui called that twist of fate. "It is blessing from God.” Yamal went to live at Barcelona youth players’ residence at age 13 while he quickly moved up through its underage sides despite facing opponents sometimes three years older. And those slick, gliding moves, those dribbling details, precise crosses, that Yamal has used to dazzle rivals in Germany were already there. No tearsYamal's meteoric rise has actually been going on since he was old enough to kick a ball. He spent his earliest years between Mataro and another town less than a half-an-hour away, where his mother went to live when he was a toddler. Inocente Díez helps run the soccer program at Yamal’s first club, La Torreta FC, near where his mother resided. She would bring him to practice, and when she couldn’t, his father would. Or Díez said he would also pick him up sometimes because the child never wanted to miss practice. Now the summer camp run by La Torreta bears the name of “Campus Lamine Yamal.” Yamal’s picture is on the poster for the camp, and one family stopped to take a photo of the field with Yamal’s Spain shirt. Díez said that in his 50 years in soccer he has never seen a talent like Yamal. The youngster played with kids two or three years older and was the leader of a team that won their league title. “Lots of kids can at one given moment score a great goal or do something special, but he did it in every single game,” Díez said. “He was a very quiet kid, very respectful, formal, and committed to playing with the ball. “At that age it is normal for the kids to sometimes want to leave the field, then want to see their mom, they can sometimes cry. Not him. He only wanted to play and play.” Yamal was already one of the outstanding players of the Euro 2024 before he upstaged Kylian Mbappé — his soon-to-rival at Real Madrid next season — by scoring an exquisite curling strike from outside the area to help rally Spain past France 2-1 in the semifinals. “Ahh. I teared up,” Díez said about the goal that became an instant classic. “It was very emotional. Because he is from here.”

Mohakhali Ekadosh earned a comfortable 3-1 goal victory over Motijheel T&T Club in the Bashundhara Group Senior (First) Division Football League 2023-24 at the Bir Sherestha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Dhaka's Kamalapur on Saturday morning . Sabbir Hossain Apurba put Mohakhali Ekadosh ahead in the 31st minute (1-0), while Zakirul 1slam doubled the margin in the 44th minute (2-0). Sr Division Football: Jatrabari Jhotika Sangsad outplay Little Friends Club by 4-1 goals Anwar Hossain reduced the margin for T&T Club in the 64th minute (2-1), while Shahriar Ahmed Shuvo sealed the fate of the match by scoring one more goal for Mohakhali Ekadosh in the 77th minute (3-1). In the day's other league battle, two Arambagh clubs—Arambagh Krira Sangha and Arambagh Football Academy—shared points with each other in 1-1 affairs at the same venue on Saturday afternoon. Sr Division Football: Jatrabari Jhotika Sangsad beat Mugda Somaj Kallyan OKS After a barren first half, Shafiqul Islam scored for Arambagh KS in the 48th minute, while Mubarak Hossain levelled the margin for Arambagh FA in the 55th minute (1-1). In the day's last match, Bangladesh Boys Club beat Badda,Jagoroni Sangsad by a solitary goal scored by Rana Ahmed in the 65th minute at the same venue on Saturday afternoon. Sr Division Football: Badda Jagoroni Sangsad make a good start beating Sadharan Bima KS 3-0

Siddikbazar Dhaka Junior SC earned a facile 4-0 goals victory over Little Friends Club in the Bashundhara Group Senior (First) Division Football League at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur here on Friday. Sheik Ahmed, Ashraful Haq, Rashinchandra Tripura and Milon Islam scored one goal each for the Dhaka Junior SC, which dominated the first half by 2-0 goals. In the day's other match, Mugda Samaj Kallyan O Krira Sangsad defeated Bashabo Torun Sangha by 2-0 goals at the same venue on Friday. Mahbubul Biswas Manna and Arman Hasan scored for the Mugda team, one in each half.

Saudi Arabia and the IOC are teaming up for their first commercial deal together with the oil-rich kingdom set to host the Esports Olympics that launch next year. The gaming partnership will be for 12 years “with Olympic Esports Games held regularly,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement Friday. The value was not stated. The announcement was made during the two-month Esports World Cup being staged in Riyadh. The first formal hosting or sponsorship deal between the IOC and Saudi Arabia is the latest addition to the kingdom's sprawling portfolio of sports events, including confirmation due in December to stage the 2034 World Cup in men's soccer for FIFA. Sports and entertainment events are a key part of the Vision 2030 program driven by Prince Mohammed bin Salman that aims to move the Saudi economy away from dependence on oil and to modernize its society. Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said the country “has become a global hub for professional esports.” "This is a natural next step for our young athletes, our country and the global esports community,” said Prince Abdulaziz, who also heads the Saudi national Olympic committee. The IOC said last month it planned to launch video gaming Olympics to try to attract and retain young fans and audiences. The Saudi deal must be signed off by the IOC membership which meets July 23-24 in Paris on the eve of the Summer Games. That approval is typically a formality for projects proposed by the Olympic body's leadership. “We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic Esports Games, because it has great — if not unique — expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders," the IOC's president Thomas Bach said. Last month, Bach said the video gaming event would have a financial model separate from the Summer Games and Winter Games which share revenue with governing bodies of sports on those programs. Saudi Arabia has hosted a swath of top-tier boxing events including heavyweight title fights in recent years and created the LIV Golf project as a disruptive rival to the PGA Tour in the United States. The kingdom also will host the 2027 Asian Cup in men's soccer, the 2029 Asian Winter Games centered on a ski resort being built for it, and the multi-sport 2034 Asian Games in Riyadh. Critics of Saudi Arabia's record on human rights have said the push into international sports is effectively “sportswashing” to improve that reputation.

Sports fans: how about this for a Super Sunday? Start with the men's singles final at Wimbledon, then take in the soccer European Championship title match between Spain and England, before finishing the day with the Copa America soccer showpiece: Argentina against Colombia. From London to Berlin and all the way to Miami over the course of 13 hours, it’s quite the day of top-class sports to enjoy. Quite the cast, too. Potentially Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in a repeat of the 2023 final at the All England Club. Spain's Lamine Yamal, soccer's newest superstar who will have just turned 17, against Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden at the Olympiastadion. Then, the great Lionel Messi — back in another major final for Argentina, 19 months after leading the team to the World Cup title — in what could yet be his swansong at an international tournament at Hard Rock Stadium. Wimbledon The men's singles final will take place at 2 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET). The lineup will be decided after Friday's semifinals, with Alcaraz playing Daniil Medvedev and Djokovic facing Lorenzo Musetti. Alcaraz beat Djokovic in five sets in last year's final to capture his first title at Wimbledon and second Grand Slam trophy overall. If it goes that long again, armchair fans won't have too much of a wait until the soccer double-header begins. Euro 2024 Spain vs. England will kick off at 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) and could be the crowning moment for Yamal in his breakthrough tournament, which the Barcelona winger has played while aged 16 for the most part. He turns 17 on Saturday. Spain starts as the favorite after winning all six of its games at Euro 2024 and is looking to capture the title for a record fourth time. England, the birthplace of soccer, is in a second straight European Championship final and is bidding for a first major title since its only one so far — the 1966 World Cup. Copa America The title match between Argentina and Colombia will begin at 8 p.m. local time (0000 GMT on Monday). It should still be hot and humid for the 37-year-old Messi and Argentina, which is bidding to clinch a record 16th Copa America title — breaking a tie for 15 with Uruguay. Argentina is the defending champion after winning it in 2021, so is going for a third straight major-tournament title. Colombia's only Copa America title came in 2001 — and that was the last time the team was in the final. Other Sports If all that still isn't enough for you, there's a bit more sport going on to fill the time. There's golf throughout the day at the Evian Championship, the fourth women's major of the year, and the Scottish Open, where Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg are among the stars getting some links prep in ahead of the British Open. Also, there's the 15th stage of the Tour de France if you fancy a bit of cycling.  

Both Bangladesh Youth (U-18) and Junior (U-20) Handball teams reached the finals of the four-nation International Handball Federation (IHF) Men's Trophy 2024 Zone 11 (Asia) eliminating the Maldives at the Sawai Man Singh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur, India Friday afternoon. Both Bangladesh teams will face hosts India in the finals on Sunday. Bangladesh Youth (U-18) team earned the 2nd consecutive victory to reach the final of the IHF Trophy eliminating the Maldives by 47-28 goals. Bangladesh U-18 team, which beat Nepal by 46-26 goals in their 2nd match on Thursday, today (Friday) dominated the first half by 20-10 goals against the Maldives. Bangladesh U-20 team managed a final berth also eliminating the Maldives by 38-30 goals after leading the first half by 18-11 goals. Earlier in the opening day (Wednesday), Both the Bangladesh Youth and Junior teams conceded defeat against hosts India. Bangladesh Youth (U -18) team conceded 35-45 goals defeat against India while Bangladesh Junior (U-20) team suffered 26-46 goals defeat against India Wednesday afternoon.

Swadhinata Krira Sangha beat Jatrabari Jhotika Sangsad by a 1-0 goal in the Bashundhara Group Senior (First) Division Football League at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in  Dhaka’s Kamalapur on Thursday. Mohammad Saifullah scored the match-winning goal for Swadhinata KS in the 25th minute. Sr. Division Football : Mohakhali Ekadosh beat Bangladesh Boys by 1-0 goal In the day's other match, East End Club played to a 1-1 draw with Kashaituly Samaj Kallyan Parisad at the same venue. Mohammad Didarul put Kashaituly team ahead in the 41st minute (1-0)  while Faijul Karim Shawon levelled the margin for East End Club in the 79th minute from a penalty (1-1). The day's other match between Jatrabari Krira Chakra and Sadharan Bima Corporation SC ended in a goalless draw at the same venue on Thursday. South Korea appoints Hong Myung-bo as national soccer team's head coach for second time

The 5th death anniversary of renewed sports journalist, sports editor of Dainik Sangbad and vice-president of Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA) Ajoy Barua on Friday. Ajoy passed away on July 12, 2019 at the Saint Barts hospital in London while undergoing treatment. He started his journalist career with Dainik Sangbad in September 1974 as a sports reporter and served the newspaper for about 45 years until his death. Ajoy Barua, a former student of the Mathematics Department of Dhaka University and Sports Secretary of DU Jagannath Hall, also played football for the university team. In his long journalistic career, he was a member of the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) , Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA), Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), and Chittagong Journalists Forum-Dhaka (CJFD).

Bangladesh's right-arm pacer and vice-captain of the T20 team Taskin Ahmed has issued legal notices to private tv station Ekattor TV and Bangla daily Samakal, demanding retractions and apologies for broadcasting and publishing allegedly false and defamatory reports that have tarnished his reputation. Taskin says most of the news and information being spread are rumors Represented by Advocate Jobayer Mohammad Aourangzeb, Taskin Ahmed has taken a firm stance against what he describes as baseless allegations that have caused significant harm to his standing both nationally and internationally. The notice to Ekattor Media Limited, who owns Ekattor TV, pertains to a report aired on the sports segment “Khelajog” on July 1. The broadcast alleged that Taskin missed the team bus and arrived at the cricket ground after the toss for the match against India on June 22. According to the report, this delay led to his exclusion from the playing XI. However, the legal notice claims that while Taskin did miss the bus due to “an innocent mistake of missing the alarm,” he arrived at the ground 20 minutes before the toss and participated in the national anthem ceremony. The decision to exclude him from the team had been made prior to these events and was unrelated to his late arrival. Team accepted Taskin's apology for oversleeping on day of crucial World Cup match against India  The notice asserts that the report aired by Ekattor TV contained “false and defamatory statements” that were broadcast without due diligence or reliable sources. Taskin's legal representative emphasized that the unfounded allegations violated defamation laws and significantly damaged his credibility and standing. Similarly, Samakal is facing a legal notice for a report published on July 3, which claimed that Taskin’s performance in a World Cup match against Nepal was compromised due to his consumption of a “special drink” the night before, leading to him vomiting before the match. The legal notice refutes this claim, explaining that Taskin felt nauseous due to motion sickness from traveling on winding roads. Upon arriving at the stadium, he consulted the BCB medical team, who found him fit to play after prescribing medication for his nausea. Taskin participated in the match and contributed to the team's victory, contradicting the report's implications. The notice describes the allegations published by Samakal as “derogatory, false, baseless, and defamatory,” highlighting the significant harm and mental distress caused to Taskin. Both legal notices demand that the respective media outlets withdraw the defamatory reports and issue unconditional apologies on their platforms within seven days. Taskin’s legal counsel warns that failure to comply will result in legal action, both civil and criminal, seeking appropriate damages for the harm caused. UNB has seen both the legal notices. Can Taskin win his fitness battle to make it to the World Cup? Taskin, who played a crucial role in the T20 World Cup 2024, publicly acknowledged his mistake of missing the team bus and apologized to his teammates and coaches. He expressed his regret in a social media post. Before issuing the legal notices, Taskin stated in an interview that both Ekattor and Samakal had spread false news and rumors about him.

Bangladesh Youth (U-18) Handball team tasted victory while Bangladesh Junior (U-20) settled for a draw in their second matches in the four-nation International Handball Federation (IHF) Men's Trophy' 2024 Zone 11 (Asia) played at the Sawai Man Singh Indoor Stadium in the Indian city of Joypur on Thursday. Bangladesh Youth (U-18) team beat Nepal by 46-26 goals after dominating the first half by 26-15 goals pn Thursday afternoon. Bangladesh Junior (U-20) team settled for a 29-29 goal draw with Nepal this afternoon. The match was locked in 12–12 goals in the first half. Earlier in the opening day (Wednesday), both the Bangladesh youth and junior teams conceded defeats against hosts India. Bangladesh Youth (U-18) team conceded a 35-45 goal defeat against India, while the Bangladesh Junior (U-20) team suffered a 26-46 goal defeat against India on Thursday afternoon. In the remaining matches, both the Bangladesh teams will play the Maldives on Friday. Eight teams, the youth and junior teams, from four South Asian countries—India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Bangladesh—are competing in the five-day meet. On completion of league-based matches, two top teams from both the youth and junior groups will play in the final on Sunday (July 14).