United News of Bangladesh

Struggling to make an impact at Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé has again been left out of the France squad. The captain was not included on Thursday in coach Didier Deschamps' list of players for Nations League matches against Israel and Italy. Mbappé was also absent from the previous gathering because of a minor thigh injury. But this time Mbappé is not injured, and wanted to be selected, Deschamps said. "It’s my responsibility to make decisions. I think it’s better that way," Deschamps said. He would not elaborate on his choice to do without the striker, but said it was not related to recent reports in Swedish media that the former Paris Saint-Germain star was the subject of a rape investigation “I’m not going to argue,” Descamps said. “What I can tell you are these two things. One, that Kylian wanted to come. And two, it’s not the extra sporting problems that come into play since the presumption of innocence exists and must exist. It’s a one-off choice for this gathering.” Mbappé's performances have been below par in recent weeks after he joined Madrid from PSG this summer. His struggles to adapt to his new side's playing style have coincided with a global rough patch of form for the Spanish club. Mbappé was invisible during the 4-0 loss to Barcelona last month in the clasico and wasn't a factor this week in a 3-1 loss to AC Milan in the Champions League. Mbappé hasn't added to his 48 goals for France since June. His absence from Deschamp’s squad last month turned into controversy when he started a Spanish league game for Madrid following his omission, amid sharp criticism from fans. During his time off from club and country, as France beat Israel and Belgium in the Nations League, Mbappé visited Stockholm. Swedish media later reported he was the subject of a rape investigation. His legal team dismissed those reports as false. Swedish prosecutors issued a brief statement on Tuesday saying a rape was reported to police but didn’t name any suspect. France plays Israel on Nov. 14 in Paris then travels to Italy three days later.

Neymar is expected to miss two weeks with an injury, intensifying speculation over the Brazilian's future with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. Neymar made just his second club appearance following a 12-month injury layoff by coming on as a substitute in the 58th minute of Al-Hilal's 3-0 win over Esteghlal of Iran in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday. The former Barcelona star then pulled up after stretching for the ball with three minutes remaining and had to be replaced. “Unfortunately, it is not a simple injury and he seems to be suffering from muscle pain and it is not a knee issue,” Al-Hilal coach Jorge Jesus said Wednesday in a press conference in Riyadh. “He is expected to be out for two weeks.” Neymar took to social media to update his fans. “Hopefully nothing too much…” he wrote. “It’s normal that after one year (out) this happens, the doctors had already warned me, so I have to be careful and play more minutes.” Saudi Arabian media speculated that the absence could last as long as three weeks and that Al-Hilal may not register Neymar, whose contract ends in June 2025, for the second half of the Saudi Pro League season. Neymar has played just seven games for the 19-time Saudi champion since signing in August 2023 for a reported fee of $90 million. He is not currently registered to play domestic league games as the club has a full contingent of 10 foreign players, but is allowed to play in continental competitions. A new registration window opens in January.

Newly elected Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President, Tabith Awal, visited the federation’s office in Motijheel on Wednesday afternoon, marking his first visit since taking office eleven days ago. The visit comes shortly after the Bangladesh Women’s Football team made history by winning the prestigious SAFF Championship for the second consecutive time, just three days after the BFF election in 2024. At the time of the victory, Tabith Awal was abroad. During his visit, the BFF president, along with the newly elected executive committee, met with federation officials and staff and also paid a courtesy call to the SAFF Women’s Championship-winning team. Later, Awal addressed the media in a press conference at the BFF House. He shared that no major discussions took place during the visit, stating that details of future plans would be shared after the first executive committee meeting, scheduled for Saturday, November 9. "We are very glad to start our journey with a champions' trophy. Our women's football team has brought immense pride to the country, and they truly deserve recognition. We will announce incentives for them after our first EC meeting on Saturday," he said.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on Monday announced a 27-member full pledget preliminary national squad to form a national football team to play a two-match FIFA International Friendly series with the Maldives in this month's FIFA window. Hosts Bangladesh Football Team will play touring Maldives national side in two FIFA Int'l Friendlies on November 13 and 16 at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital. The head coach of Bangladesh Football team Javier Cabrera, who announced a 16-member partial national squad last Wednesday without the players of BPL champions Bashundhara Kings, today (Monday) completed the preliminary line-up, adding 11 more booters in the squad. Bangladesh champions Bashundhra Kings were in Bhutan at that time to play in the AFC Challenge League. The newly included eleven footballers are: Anisur Rahman Zico, Mehdi Hasan Srabon, Chandan Roy, Saad Uddin, Topu Barman, Rabbi Hossain Rahul, Mojibur aRahman Jony, Sohel Rana, Rakib Hossain, Shekh Morsalin, and Foysal Ahmed Fahim. Members of the previously announced 16-member partial Bangladesh team are: Goal Keeper: Mitul Marma, Sujon Hossain Defender-Murad Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Shakil Ahad Topu, Rahmat Mia, Shakil Hossain, Isa Faysal, and Taj Uddin. Midfielders: Mohammad Hridoy, Syed Shah Quazem Kirmanee, Papon Singh, and Didarul AlamForward: Shahriar Emon, Arman Foysal Akash, and Mirajul Islam. The residential training camp of the Bangladesh national team with 16 booters already started last Friday (November 1) at the Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka. The newly recruited footballers will join national camp on Tuesday. After making some practice sessions in the last few days, the Bangladesh national team played a preparatory match with Fortis SC on Monday.

Dani Olmo made the most out of his return as a starter with Barcelona, scoring twice to lead the Catalan club to a 3-1 win over Espanyol in the city derby on Sunday in the Spanish league. Raphinha also scored for Barcelona, which a week ago had routed Real Madrid 4-0 in the clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Barcelona is now nine points ahead of Madrid, whose game at Valencia on Saturday was postponed because of the deadly floods that killed more than 200 people in southern Spain last week. The game between Villarreal and Rayo Vallecano also was postponed, as were three second-division games scheduled to be played in the region this weekend. The victory extended Barcelona's 27-match unbeaten streak against Espanyol in the league. Espanyol, sitting in 17th place, has lost six of its last seven league matches. Olmo scored his double in his return as a starter after hurting his right hamstring on Sept. 15 against Girona. He had come off the bench in the team's wins against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Madrid in the Spanish league. “I was excited about coming back,” Olmo said. “I'm feeling well. It was important to keep winning.” He put Barcelona ahead in the 12th minute from close range after a neat cross by Lamine Yamal with the outside of his left foot. Olmo's second goal came with a strike from outside the area in the 31st. In his first season with Barcelona, Olmo now has five goals in five matches. Raphinha added to the lead in the 23rd by redirecting the ball into the net with one touch after Marc Casadó's long cross into the area. Barcelona has outscored its league opponents 40-11 in 12 matches. Madrid has the second-best attack with 21 goals scored. “We are a team that can score a lot, not only with our strikers but also with the players in the second line,” Olmo said. “We play very direct and create many opportunities.” Espanyol thought it had moved closer in the 27th but Jofre Carrera's goal was called off after video review because of offside. It also had a goal by Álvaro Tejero disallowed for offside in the 58th, then Javi Puado finally scored a goal that counted in the 63rd. Barcelona also had a goal called off in stoppage time. Before the match, Barcelona honored those who received awards at the Ballon d'Or ceremony last week, including Yamal, who earned the Kopa Trophy award for best Under-21 player, and Aitana Bonmatí, who won the award for the world’s best woman soccer player. Barcelona also won the best women’s team prize. There was also a moment of silence in honor of the flood victims, which has taken place at all league matches this weekend. Simeone's son scores Giuliano Simeone, son of Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, scored his first goal with the club in the team's 2-0 win against Las Palmas. The goal came more than 20 years after Simeone's last league goal with the club as a player. Alexander Sorloth netted Atletico's second goal on Sunday, helping move the club back to third place, 10 points behind Barcelona. Other results Sixth-place Athletic Bilbao drew 1-1 against Real Betis, while 10th-place Real Sociedad won 2-0 at Sevilla with goals from Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal.

Manchester City’s 32-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League ended in a 2-1 loss at Bournemouth on Saturday as Liverpool wrested back the lead in the title race. Pep Guardiola had warned this week that his Manchester City team could be “in trouble” after injuries kept piling up, and those comments quickly proved prophetic on an eventful day that also saw Arsenal lose 1-0 at Newcastle while Liverpool needed a late comeback to beat Brighton 2-1 and go top of the league. The biggest surprise came at Bournemouth, though, as the Cherries stunningly took a 2-0 lead at home thanks to goals from Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson and then held off City’s comeback attempt. Josko Gvardiol pulled one goal back in the 82nd while Erling Haaland had a header saved in injury time and then hit the post from the rebound. It was City's first league loss of 2024 but second straight 2-1 defeat in all competitions after being eliminated from the League Cup by Tottenham in midweek, and the defending champion now trails Liverpool by two points. "Today we could not handle their intensity that they had and that’s why we lost the game,” Guardiola said. All three leading title rivals looked headed for defeat after Newcastle won in the early kickoff and Brighton then largely outplayed Liverpool in the first half at Anfield and easily could have led by more than one goal at the break, but Liverpool turned things around in less than three minutes in the second. Cody Gakpo’s attempted cross sailed past both teammate Darwin Nunez and the Brighton defense into the net for the equalizer in the 69th and Mohamed Salah’s sublime finish in the 72nd sealed the win. Salah was released down the right by Trent Alexander-Arnold on a quick counter, cut inside a defender and curled an unstoppable shot into the net with his left foot for a goal that put Liverpool two points clear of City in first place. “We needed another second-half performance because we were outplayed in the first half," Liverpool manager Arne Slot said. “They were better on the ball, more aggressive without the ball. Then, everything changed in the second half because it was completely the opposite.” Arsenal is now seven points off the pace and fell to fourth place behind Nottingham Forest, which beat 10-man West Ham 3-0, and the Gunners could find themselves in sixth if Aston Villa and Chelsea both win on Sunday. Also, Southampton earned its first win of the season thanks to Adam Armstrong’s 85th-minute goal in a 1-0 victory over Everton to climb out of last place. But fellow promoted side Ipswich and Wolves are both still looking for their first wins after giving up second-half leads. Ipswich conceded an injury-time equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Leicester, while Wolves drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace in a game where all four goals came in a 17-minute span in the second half. Lack of creativity costs Arsenal The absence of injured midfielder Martin Odegaard proved costly again as Arsenal looked devoid of creativity at St. James' Park even after going behind early. Alexander Isak’s early header was enough for Eddie Howe’s team to end a five-game winless run in the league as the hosts easily neutralized Arsenal’s struggling attack the rest of the way. It was the second year in a row that Newcastle beat Arsenal 1-0 at home. Declan Rice had the visitors' best chance in the third minute of injury time but headed wide after a cross by Bukayo Saka. “We needed more answers, we didn't (have them),” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. Forest surges into third place Nottingham Forest and its free-scoring striker Chris Wood are proving to be the surprise package of the season so far. Wood scored his eighth goal of the campaign as Forest moved into its highest top-flight position in 26 years with a dominant performance against a West Ham team that had Edson Alvarez sent off for a second booking in first-half injury time. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina also scored for Forest, which earned its third win in a row and also beat Liverpool away earlier in the season. While Forest looks rejuvenated under Nuno Espirito Santo, the pressure is back on Everton manager Sean Dyche after a five-game unbeaten run in the league ended with a dispiriting loss to Southampton, which only had one point going into the game. Everton thought it had scored an injury-time equalizer through substitute Beto but it was disallowed for offside after a lengthy VAR review.

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) champions Bashundhara Kings completed their Group A engagements of the AFC Challenge League 2024-25 with all losses after conceding 1-2 goals defeat against Paro FC of hosts Bhutan at the Changlimithang Stadium in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu Friday night. The match locked at 1-1 in the first half. With day's another frustrating defeat, Bangladesh champions Bashundhara Kings maintained their  poor show in the international football and finished at bottom in the four-team group empty-handed. Kolkata East Bengal emerged group champions to reach the quarter final with unbeaten run securing seven points, Nejmeh FC of Lebanon in the 2nd slot with six points while Paro FC in the 3rd slot with four points, playing all the three group matches. BCB announces Tk 20 lakh award for Bangladesh women’s football team Bangladesh champions Kings started the Group A campaign losing to Nejmeh FC of Lebanon by 0-1 goal while they suffered 0-4 goals defeat against Kolkata East Bengal Club in the 2nd match to remain at the bottom. In the day's last group match, midfielder Valerii Hryshyn put the Kings team ahead in the 12th minute by a left footer from center of the box, off a Foysal Ahmed Fahim pass (1-0). AFC Challenge League: Bashundhara Kings suffer thrashing at hands of East Bengal Defender Nima Wangdi leveled the margin for Paro FC in the 23rd minute by a right footed shot, capitalizing on a Kezang Dorgi pass (1-1). Kings defender Jasur Jumayev scored a suicidal goal in the 54th minute to suffer another embarrassing defeat.

Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan given a reward of Tk 1 crore for the seven-nation SAFF Women's unbeaten champions Bangladesh Women's Football team. The Sports Adviser gave the reward on behalf of the Youth and Sports Ministry while he made a courtesy call with the women's footballers at the BFF office in Dhaka's Motijheel Thursday evening. BCB announces Tk 20 lakh award for Bangladesh women’s football team The sports adviser said, "Our chief adviser is very keen to meet the national heroine and will accord a reception for them on Saturday (Nov 2) at 11 am at his official residence. " Earlier, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) also announced an award of Tk 20 lakh for the Bangladesh women’s national football team, which won the SAFF Women’s Championship title for the 2nd time in a row, beating 6th time finalists and hosts Nepal by 2-1 goals in the final in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening. Earlier, the Bangladesh women's football team landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2:15 pm on Thursday, where BFF officials received the players with bouquets and heartfelt congratulations. After clearing airport formalities, the celebrated team embarked on a jubilant procession to the BFF office in Motijheel, travelling by open-roof bus, mostly on elevated expressway while proudly displaying the SAFF trophy. Women footballers to receive due salaries soon: Shafiqul Alam

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will award Tk 20 lakh to the Bangladesh women’s national football team which won the SAFF Women’s Championship 2024. In a media release on Thursday evening, the BCB announced the award for the team which clinched SAFF Women's crown for the 2nd consecutive times beating 6th time finalists Nepal by 2-1 goal in final in Kathmandu on Wednesday. The team landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2:15 pm, where BFF officials received the players with bouquets and heartfelt congratulations. SAFF Women’s Champions get hero’s welcome in Dhaka After clearing airport formalities, the celebrated team embarked on a jubilant procession to the BFF headquarters in Motijheel, traveling by open-roof bus along the elevated expressway while proudly displaying the SAFF trophy. Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud and two BFF officials welcomed the team at BFF headquarters. Women footballers to receive due salaries soon: Shafiqul Alam  

Bangladesh women’s national football team which won the SAFF Women’s Championship 2024 returned to Dhaka on Thursday afternoon, greeted with fanfare and a warm welcome by officials, fans, and Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) leaders, who proudly celebrated the team’s remarkable achievement. The team landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2:15 pm, where BFF officials received the players with bouquets and heartfelt congratulations. This year’s victory marked Bangladesh’s second consecutive SAFF Women’s Championship title, a testament to their exceptional skills and resilience. Bangladesh clinched the title by defeating Nepal, a six-time finalist and host, with a close 2-1 score in Wednesday’s final match in Kathmandu. This win solidified their undefeated status throughout the tournament, adding to their victory over Nepal in the 2022 SAFF Women’s Championship final, where they won 3-1 to claim their first-ever title. Standout players included Ritu Porna Chakma, awarded the title of Most Valuable Player, and Rupna Chakma, named Best Goalkeeper for her stellar performance throughout the tournament. After clearing airport formalities, the celebrated team embarked on a jubilant procession to the BFF headquarters in Motijheel, traveling by open-roof bus along the elevated expressway while proudly displaying the SAFF trophy. The team will be honored in a special reception later today, hosted by Chief Adviser of the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus. Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan is also scheduled to meet with the players at the BFF headquarters at 5:00 pm.