United News of Bangladesh

Fazle Rabbi Moon of Dhaka Tribune earned double crown in the table tennis competition on  the first day of the Walton-BSJA Sports Carnival '2024 that began here on Tuesday (Sept 17)  at the Bangladesh Sports  Journalists Association (BSJA) office premises. Senior Executive Director of the meet's sponsor Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC FM Iqbal Bin Anwar Don inaugurated the week- long festival, organised by Bangladesh Sports  Journalists Association. Coach of national table tennis team Mohammad Ali and former national women's champions Sonam Sultana Soma were also present on the occasion as special guests. Moon clinched the table tennis singles title beating Mazharul Islam of Independent Television in the  final while he shared the doubles title with Jotirmoy Mondal beating Mazharul Islam and Tayeb Ananta pair  in the event's final. The call bridge competition will be held on Wednesday at the BSJA office. Seven disciplines of sports---badminton, chess, shooting, swimming,  call bridge, carom (singles and doubles) and table tennis (singles and doubles) were included in the week long sports festival only for the BSJA members. Shooting will be held at the Hockey Stadium, Badminton events at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium, Swimmers at the ivy Rahman Swimming Pool while remaining four sports ---table tennis, carom, chess and call bridge --scheduled to be held at the BSJA office at the Bangabandhu National Stadium premises.    

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal flew to India amid widespread speculation of his job as a commentator during the India- Bangladesh tour starting on September 19 in Chennai. Tamim had his first day at the commentary box earlier. He is expected to do the same job in India for the first time. In this tour, Bangladesh will play two Tests and three T20Is against the hosts. Bangladesh never won a Test match against India, but they are expected to offer a strong challenge to India in this series. The confidence of the Tigers is boosted after their historic Test series win in Pakistan recently. Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and two young pacers— Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana— played the main roles behind Bangladesh’s historic win in Pakistan. If they can continue their good run, the Bangladesh team will be able to get some memorable moments in India, too. Mehidy, the allrounder of Bangladesh, said that they are hopeful of posing a strong challenge to the Indian side this time. Indian legend and former captain Sourav Ganguly praised the Bangladesh team for the series-winning performance in Pakistan, but opined that they won’t be able to do the same against India. The first Test of the India series will be played in Chennai from September 19, and the second Test will begin on September 27th in Kanpur. Bangladesh squad for India Tests: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Taijul Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Nayeem Hasan and Khaled Ahmed.

Renewed sports organiser cum businessman Tarafder Md Ruhul Amin will contest in the hot seat of president of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in the upcoming election slated for October 26 next. The decision came a day after present president Kazi Mohammad Salahuddin announced that he will not compete in the upcoming BFF election 2024 after serving the federation for uninterrupted period of 16 years. The name of Tarafder Ruhul Amin, as president candidate was formally proposed by former top official of Bangladesh Athletics Federation Ali Imam Tapon at a press conference at a local hotel on Sunday. Accepting the proposal to compete for BFF presidency, Amin said he wants to revive the country's flagging footballing scene. Former national footballer cum coach Shafiqul Islam Manik, star footballer Syed Rumman bin Wali Sabbir among others were on the stage. Former national goalkeeper cum sports secretary of BNP Aminul Haque and BNP leader Khairul Kabir Khokon were also present at the press conference arranged under the banner of "declaration of president candidate in Bangladesh Football Federation elections with consensus." Another BNP leader Tabitha Awal, a former vice-president of BFF, is likely to be another strong president candidate of Bangladesh Football Federation. Ruhul Amin, Managing Director Saif Powertec Limited, former president of Bangladesh District and Divisional Football Association is a well-known figure in football and chess since 2015. He had made generous investments in district leagues and lower-division clubs of Dhaka. He was also the chairman of now-defunct Saif Sporting Club and was the vice-president of Chittagong Abahani Limited.

The Walton-BSJA Sports Carnival '2024, organized by Bangladesh Sports  Journalists Association (BSJA)  begins here  next  Tuesday (Sept 17). Senior Executive Director of the meet's sponsor Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC FM Iqbal Bin Anwar Don and Senior Deputy Executive Director Rabiul Islam Milton will inaugurate the week- long festival The details of the meet disclosed by BSJA officials at a press conference at the Dutch Bangla Bank Auditorium of BOA on Sunday. Convenor of the BSJA  sports carnival Raihan Al Mugni, member secretary Rabiul Islam addressed the press conference where FM Iqbal Bin Anwar Don also spoke on the occasion Seven disciplines of sports---badminton, chess, shooting, swimming,  call bridge, carom (singles and doubles) and table tennis (singles and doubles) included in the week long sports festival only for the BSJA members. Shooting will be held at the Hockey Stadium, Badminton events at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium, Swimmers at the ivy Rahman Swimming Pool while remaining four disciplines ---table tennis, carom, chess and call bridge -- will be held at the BSJA office at the Bangabandhu National Stadium premises. The winners of all the events will be awarded with trophy and prize money while the best player of the meet will also be awarded.

Bangladesh cricket team departs for India on Sunday to play a two-match Test and three-match T20I series. Before boarding a flight to India, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto talked to the media at the airport and said the team effort would be the key for them in the tour. It’s Bangladesh’s first series after their historic Test series win in Pakistan. Bangladesh played 13 Tests before against India but failed to win any of those matches. Two of those matches ended in a draw, with India winning the other 11 matches. Bangladesh aims to surprise India in this series, but as the captain said, a team effort is needed. “It's not just the spinners who have responsibility. The difference can only be made when we play as a team,” Shanto said. “Batters and pace bowlers also have equal responsibility. Playing as a whole team is important, if we can play as a team, we will play good cricket.” Bangladesh beat Pakistan in both the matches in Rawalpindi, which surely boosted the confidence of the team. But replicating the same success in India will require team effort and caution. “This is going to be a challenging series,” the Bangladesh captain added. “We will play to win both the matches. But first we have to make sure that we do our job properly.” Bangladesh have a great spin attack that includes players like Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. At the same time, the Tigers have a good pace attack. But what they lack is experience, as Shanto said. India have great history in the Tests in recent years. They have players with proven record against any kind of bowling attack and on any surface around the world. “The most important thing for us is how we can play good cricket for five days, the result comes in the last session,” Shanto said, making sure that they would focus more on their own setup.

The longest serving president of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Kazi Mohammad Salahuddin finally decided not to contest in the upcoming BFF election slated for October 26. Former celebrated footballer Kazi Salahuddin, who acted as BFF president for an uninterrupted period of 16 years since 2008, made this announcement at a hurried arranged press conference at the BFF House Saturday afternoon.  Kazi Salahuddin, also the president of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), on his decision to step down from the hot seat of BFF said, " I have served BFF for four consecutive terms, I considered myself enough lucky to get the opportunity, now have decided not contest in the next month's BFF election, this is my final decision, I want to thank everyone for working with me over past 16 years". However, Salahuddin did not elaborate on the reasons for his stepping down. Sources said, family pressure played the key role of his fresh decision. After the fall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5, Football supporters forum "Ultras"  demanded the resignation of Kazi Salahuddin and held demonstrations in front of the BFF house giving him an ultimatum to resign. Defying their demand, Kazi Salahuddin on August 13 said he would not resign, rather will contest in the BFF election again to serve a fifth term'. "I am not an ordinary person. I have a long football background, having represented and captained the national team. I am also a freedom fighter and have received national sports awards, the independence award, the liberation award, and the Sheikh Kamal Lifetime Achievement Award during the regimes of Ziaur Rahman, HM Ershad, Khaleda Zia, and the Awami League. I will leave football on my terms, not due to threats," he added  "If they are so popular, they should run in the ensuing elections themselves. Why are they so concerned about me? If I am a failure organiser, the councillors would not vote for me. I was first elected BFF president against Awami League organisers," he claimed.

The Bangladesh national cricket team is to leave for India on Sunday to play a two-match Test series and a three-match T20I series against the hosts. India has always been a formidable opponent for Bangladesh. But over the last few years, the rivalry between these two neighboring countries has reached a fever pitch, creating anticipation for fans of both countries of a competitive series. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed Saturday that the team will fly to India on Sunday afternoon. Before the departure, the team's captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, will address the media. Bangladesh has already announced the 16-member squad for the Test series. The left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam, who was part of the Bangladesh team during their Pakistan tour, was left behind due to an injury. To replace Shoriful, who is expected to return with the T20I series, Bangladesh included wicketkeeper-batter Jaker Ali. It was Jaker’s first call to the Test team. India has also announced their squad for this series with all their big names. This series will be marked as the first home series of the season for India. Bangladesh had previously faced India in 13 Tests but failed to win any of those matches. They lost 11 matches, and two other matches ended in draws. But this time, the Bangladesh team will be eager to write a new history as they are pumped up in confidence after their maiden Test series win in Pakistan, where they beat the hosts in both matches of the two-match series. Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and two young pacers— Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana— played the main roles behind Bangladesh’s historic win in Pakistan. If they can continue their good run, the Bangladesh team would be able to get some memorable moments in India too. Mehidy, the allrounder of Bangladesh, said that they are hopeful of posing a strong challenge to the Indian side this time. Indian legend and former captain Sourav Ganguly praised the Bangladesh team for the series-winning performance in Pakistan, but opined that they won’t be able to do the same against India. The first Test of the India series will be played in Chennai from September 19, and the second Test will begin on September 27th in Kanpur. Bangladesh squad for India Tests: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Shadman Islam, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Taijul Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Nayeem Hasan and Khaled Ahmed.

Real Madrid will temporarily stop holding concerts at its renovated Santiago Bernabeu Stadium after neighbors complained about the loud noise, the Spanish club said late Friday. Madrid said that three concerts by Spanish pop artists will be pushed back from November to December, while the South Korean music show Music Bank scheduled for Oct. 12 has been canceled. The decision came after several local media reports of residents who live near the stadium complaining about the noise that reached their homes during concerts. The club said in a statement that “this decision forms part of a group of measures taken by the club to ensure that the municipal regulations are strictly complied with during concerts.”

Both the Bangladesh Open and Women's Chess teams made a flying start in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad Budapest' 2024 outplaying their respective rivals by straight 4-0 in the first-round matches held in Budapest, Hungary on Wednesday. In the Open Section, four Bangladeshi players--Grandmaster Enamul Hossain Razib (Rating-2354), Grandmaster Niaz Murshed (Rating-2318), International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman (Rating-2419) and FIDE Master Manon Reja Neer (Rating-2417) won their respective matches against their four rivals from Lesotho. Another player of five member Bangladesh Open Chess team --FIDE Master Tahsin Tajwar Zia (Rating- 2255)-- son of late Grand Master Ziaur Rahman was a reserve player in the first round. In the Women's section, four Bangladeshi players ---Woman FIDE Master Noshin Anjum (Rating-2085), Woman FIDE Master Wadifa Ahmed (Rating-1988), Woman Candidate Master Nusrat Jahan Alo (Rating-2033) and Women's Candidate Master Walijah Ahmed (Rating-1936) beat their rivals from St Lucia. Veteran chess player and International Women's Master Rani Hamid (Rating-1900) was a reserve player in the first round. Bangladesh open team playing against Vietnam while Bangladesh Women's team playing against Romania on Thursday's 2nd round matches till last report received.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Thursday accorded a reception to the Bangladesh national cricket team at his office in the city, following its 2-0 Test series victory against Pakistan in August-September 2024. Welcoming the cricketers at the reception, the Chief Adviser called their success in Pakistan historic and said the whole nation was proud of their achievement.  “I spoke to the captain after the victory but I was eagerly waiting to meet you all personally and congratulate you on behalf of the nation,” said Prof Yunus while addressing the players. He reminded the players of the power of sport in uniting a nation and recalled his recent engagement in the Paris Olympics where he acted as an advisor and ambassador. The Chief Adviser revealed that he was invited by Italy to play a similar role during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Cricket team’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto thanked Prof Yunus for hosting them at his office and said his words would encourage them to achieve further success. “Every player is happy to come here. It will really inspire us,” he said. Shanto said the hard work of players and coaching staff was pivotal to their success in Pakistan. Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain hailed the players for bringing success at a difficult time. Bangladesh Cricket Board President Faruque Ahmed, director Najmul Abedin Fahim, Chief Executive Officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury were, among others, present on the occasion, , according to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.