Football
Ind Cup Football: Dhaka Abahani makes good start beating Swadinata KS 2-1
Dhaka Abahani Limited made a good start in the 15-team season’s curtain raiser soccer meet, the Riviera Independence Cup Football’ 21 beating newcomers Swadhinata KS by 2-1 goals at Bir Shrestha Shahid Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium, Kamalapur on Monday.
The winners led the first half by a 1-0 goal.
Forward Mehedi Hasan put Abahani ahead in the 29th minute (1-0) while Brazilian midfielder Raphael sounded the Abahani margin in the 74th minute (2-0).
Uzbek medio Nordirbek scored the lone goal for Swadhinata KC in the stoppage time of the match (2-1).
READ: Ind Cup Football: Mohammedan beat Muktijoddha 2-1
A total 15 teams, including 12 premier division league clubs and three services teams split into four groups, are initially taking part in league basis matches from November 27 to December 8.
Participating teams are:
Group A– Dhaka Abahani Limited, Rahmatganj MFS and Swadhinata KS
Group B: Sheikh Jamal DC, Sheikh Russel KC, Uttar Baridhara Club and Bangladesh Air Force.
Group C: Saif Sporting Club , Mohammedan SC, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC and Bangladesh Army.
READ: Ind Cup Football: Sheikh Russel KC, Sheikh Jamal DC make good start
Group D: Bashundhara Kings, Chittagong Abahani Ltd, Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Navy
Later, four group champions and runners-up teams, will play in the quarterfinals on December 10 and 12. The two semifinals will be held on December 12 and the final match will be held on December 18.
Champions League Group Stage Matchday 6: Potential Teams to secure Round of 16
The final group stage matches of the UEFA Champions League 2021-2022 will be played on December 7 and 8, respectively. Eleven teams have already qualified for the Round of 16 phase. The remaining five positions are still up for grabs. Therefore, the coming week should be filled with exciting clashes. Let's take a look at the teams who can qualify for the Round of 16 on matchday six of the Champions League group stage.
Champions League 2021-2022: Favourites to advance to the Round of 16
Manchester City, PSG, Liverpool, Ajax, Sporting CP, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Lille, Chelsea, and Juventus are among the teams who have qualified for the Round of 16 in the Champions League. Let's look at the teams who have a chance to move to the first knockout round.
Group A
Manchester City have won four games and will finish top of the Group A points table. They will remain in the first position regardless of the outcome of their final group stage match against RB Leipzig. PSG will have to settle for second place after losing to Manchester City in the previous match. They will, however, compete in the Round of 16 as well. Club Brugge and RB Leipzig will compete for a Europa League place.
Verdict: N/A
Group B
Liverpool have qualified from Group B after winning five games in a row. They are the champions of the group. Porto, Milan, and Atletico Madrid will be battling it out for a second-place on matchday six. Porto will play Atletico Madrid, while AC Milan will play Liverpool.
Verdict: Atletico Madrid
Read Juventus turmoil: Raided by police and struggling in Serie A
Group C
Ajax have won all of their games thus far and are the group champion, advancing to the Round of 16. Sporting CP are in second place and can qualify if they at least draw their last group stage match against Ajax. Borussia Dortmund can also progress if they defeat Besiktas, but Sporting CP must lose to Ajax.
Verdict: Sporting CP
Group D
Real Madrid and Inter Milan have qualified for the knockout stages from Group D. Both teams will face off for the top spot in the standings on matchday six. Sheriff Tiraspol have also qualified for the Europa League, while Shakhtar Donetsk was knocked out of the group stage.
Verdict: N/A
Read Ind Cup Football: Mohammedan beat Muktijoddha 2-1
Group E
Bayern Munich have finished first in Group E with 15 points. If FC Barcelona lose to Bayern Munich, they are at serious risk of missing out on the Round of 16. Benfica, who are currently in third place, may qualify for the first knockout round if they win their upcoming match against Dynamo Kyiv.
Verdict: Benfica
Group F
Manchester United qualified for the Round of 16 after defeating Villarreal in their previous match. As a result, the match between Villarreal and Atalanta will be a do-or-die contest.
Verdict: Villarreal
Read Ind Cup Football: Sheikh Russel KC, Sheikh Jamal DC make good start
Group G
No team has qualified from this group yet. Therefore, both the remaining fixtures of this group will be thrilling affairs. Lille are in top place with eight points, followed by Salzburg, Sevilla, and Wolfsburg. Lille will face Wolfsburg, while Sevilla will face Salzburg on matchday six.
Verdict: Lille and Sevilla
Group H
Chelsea and Juventus have already qualified for the Round of 16 of the Champions League 2021-2022 season. Both teams have 12 points and will play their final group stage matches for the top spot in the standings. Chelsea will face Zenit Saint Petersburg, while Juventus will face Malmo FF on matchday six.
Verdict: N/A
Read Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal may not qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022
Verdict
Three of the biggest clubs FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and AC Milan are at risk of being eliminated from the Champions League group stage. Aside from that, all of Europe's traditional powerhouses have already qualified for the Round of 16 stage. The 2021-2022 Champions League's first knockout round draw will take place on Monday, December 13. No club will face a team from their UEFA Champions League group or a team from the same national federation, therefore it will be an interesting draw.
Juventus turmoil: Raided by police and struggling in Serie A
As if having their offices raided by police investigating financial crimes wasn't serious enough for Juventus, Italy's most successful football team is enduring damaging turmoil on the field too.
For nine consecutive seasons, Juventus won the Italian title being before toppled as champions by Inter Milan in May. Now the team is being booed by its fans as it slides down the standings.
The jeering followed a 1-0 loss to Atalanta on Saturday that left the 36-time Italian champions in eighth place after more than a third of the season. It's not about trying to regain the title now, just a scramble to avoid missing out on lucrative UEFA income with Atalanta seven points ahead in the fourth and last Champions League qualification place.
Although it followed a dispiriting 4-0 collapse at Chelsea on Tuesday, at least a place in the round of 16 of this season's Champions League has already been secured for February.
Much uncertainty, though, hangs over its leadership in the coming weeks after financial police searched the club's offices in Turin and Milan on Friday to gather information relating to player transfers and agent dealings between 2019 and this year.
Prosecutors are investigating whether Juventus, which is listed on the Milan stock exchange, misled investors — particularly whether invoices for non-existent transactions were issued to demonstrate income that in turn could be deemed false accounting. The complexity of the case could center on challenges around determining how much above the expected value of a transfer a player is worth.
Juventus confirmed that its president, Andrea Agnelli, was under investigation along with vice president Pavel Nedved, a decorated former player, chief financial officer Stefano Cerrato and other former staff.
Italian market regulator CONSOB is investigating Juventus over revenue from player trading that was 43.2 million in 2020-21 and 172 million in the previous financial year.
"The company is cooperating with the investigators," Juventus said in a statement, "and with CONSOB and trusts that it will clarify any aspect of interest to it as it believes to have acted in compliance with the laws and regulations governing the preparation of financial reports, in accordance with accounting principles and in line with the international practice in the football industry and market conditions."
The investigation is a further setback for Agenlli, who had brought back title-winning coach Massimiliano Allegri after Andrea Pirlo's struggles in his single season in charge.
The end of the team's Serie A supremacy coincided with the fall from grace in football politics for Agnelli, whose reign as head of the European Club Association ended in April with his ill-fated attempt to split from UEFA and form a largely-closed Super League.
Agenlli, along with Barcelona and Real Madrid, is still clinging to the hope of launching a breakaway competition that locks in places for the elite like Juve.
The reason why the two-time European champions would be so desperate for such a competition has been reinforced by its domestic struggles and defeats to teams like Atalanta, which only made its Champions League debut in 2019.
Ind Cup Football: Mohammedan beat Muktijoddha 2-1
Dhaka Mohammedan SC made a good start in the season’s curtain raiser meet, the Independence Cup Football 21 beating Muktijoddha Sangsad KC by 2-1 goals at Bir Shrestha Shahid Shapahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium, Kamalapur on Sunday.
Souleymane Diabate put Mohammedan SC ahead in the 36th minute (1-0) while Shahed Miah doubled the black and whites margin in the 50th minute (2-0).
Also read: Ind Cup Football: Sheikh Russel KC, Sheikh Jamal DC make good start
Japanese booter Misawa scored the lone goal for the freedom fighters team in the 70th minute (2-1).
Dhaka Abahani Limited will play newcomers Swadhinata KC at 5:45 pm in Monday’s lone match at the same venue.
Also read: Ind Cup Football: Sheikh Russel KC to play Uttar Baridhara in opener Saturday
Ind Cup Football: Sheikh Russel KC, Sheikh Jamal DC make good start
Two former league champions --Sheikh Russel KC and Sheikh Jamal DC--made a good start in the 15-team Independence Cup Football’ 21 beating their rivals in two opening day’s matches of the Riviera Independence Cup Football ’21 at Bir Shrestha Shahid Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur here on Saturday.
Earlier, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni inaugurated the meet at a simple ceremony on Saturday afternoon.
In the day’s inaugural match, Sheikh Russel KC defeated Uttar Baridhara Club by 1-0 goal.
Mannaf Rabbi scored the match-winner for Sheikh Russel KC in the 59th minute.
In the day’s other match, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club made a flying start outplaying Bangladesh Air Force team by 3-0 goals Saturday evening.
Uzbek booter Otabek put Sheikh Jamal Dc ahead in the 16th minute (1-0), Gambian booter Solomon King doubled the margin in the 52 minute (2-0) while Shohanur sealed the fate of the match scoring the 3rd goal for Sheikh Jamal in the in the 54th minute (3-0).
On Sunday, Mohammedan SC will encounter Muktijoddha Sangsad KC at 4 pm while Saif SC will encounter Bangladesh Army at 6 pm at the same venue.
Dhaka Abahani Ltd will meet newcomers Swadhinata KS at 5:45 pm on Monday at the same venue.
A total 15 teams including 12 premier division league clubs and three services teams, split into four groups, are initially taking part on league basis matches from November 27 to December 8.
Participating teams are:
Group A– Dhaka Abahani Limited, Rahmatganj MFS and Swadhinata KS
Group B: Sheikh Jamal DC, Sheikh Russel KC, Uttar Baridhara Club and Bangladesh Air Force.
Group C: Saif Sporting Club , Mohammedan SC, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC and Bangladesh Army.
Group D: Bashundhara Kings, Chittagong Abahani Ltd, Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Navy
Later, four group champions and runners-up teams, will play in the quarterfinals on December 10 and 12. The two semifinals will be held on December 14 and the final match will be held on December 18.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal may not qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022
The 2022 World Cup will include 13 nations from the European Confederation. Ten teams have already qualified for next year's competition, with the remaining three national teams to be determined in the second round. In this phase, 12 teams will compete in three-group play-offs for a spot in the 22nd edition of football's premier tournament. As per the draw, one of the Italian and Portuguese teams will be unable to participate in the competition. Let's take a look at the second-round fixtures of the European Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
FIFA World Cup 2022: Second Round of European Qualifiers
Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Croatia, England, and Germany are among the ten national teams that have qualified for the main event.
The second-round will feature 10 second-placed teams from the first round's group stage, as well as the best two Nations League group winners.
Read FIFA says opponents of 2-year World Cup fear losing top spot
Portugal, Scotland, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Wales, Turkey, Poland, North Macedonia, and Ukraine are among the participants in this phase. The semifinals of the second phase will be held on Thursday (March 24, 2022) and the finals will be played on Tuesday (March 29, 2022). Let’s take a look at the qualification process of this round.
Path A
The runner-up in Group E in the first round, Wales will face one of the best two Nations league group winners, Austria in the semifinals. The winner of this match will face the winner of the match between the Group F runner-up Scotland and the Group D runner-up Ukraine. Based on recent form, Scotland have a better chance of progressing from path A.
Path A Fixtures
Semifinals
Final
Wales vs Austria
Wales / Austria
vs
Scotland / Ukraine
Scotland vs Ukraine
Source: https://www.uefa.com/
FIFA says opponents of 2-year World Cup fear losing top spot
GENEVA (AP/UNB) — Opponents of FIFA’s push for World Cups every two years seem scared of being toppled from the top of world soccer, its president Gianni Infantino said on Friday.
Infantino’s speech to African soccer leaders was a clear criticism of Europe and South America which have dominated every World Cup and are threatening a boycott of biennial men’s tournaments.
“Those who are against are those who are at the top,” Infantino told officials from the 54-nation Confederation of African Football meeting in Cairo.
Read: NZ openers block out India after Southee 5-for on Day 2
“It happens in every sector of life, when there are reforms and changes, those who are at the top don’t want anything to change,” said Infantino, who was a long-time senior official at UEFA until being elected FIFA president in 2016. “They are afraid, maybe, that if something changes their leadership position is at risk.”
Europe and South America have provided every team to play in all 21 World Cup finals since the first in 1930, and their historical strength has earned them at least 18 of the 32 entries at the 2022 edition in Qatar.
“We understand that and we compliment and applaud them for having been so successful in reaching the top,” Infantino said. “This is fantastic and they are an example for everyone. But at the same time we cannot close the door (to others).”
Read: Diego Maradona: A year without the Argentine Legend
No African team has reached a men’s World Cup semifinal and the continent has just five of the 32 entries. That rises to at least nine when the 48-team tournament debuts in 2026.
Infantino has pushed for biennial World Cups to help other regions develop and close the gap — by giving nations more chances to qualify and players more chances to perform on the biggest stage.
An extra men’s World Cup in a four-year cycle would likely add around $3 billion at current levels to FIFA income and increase funding to its 211 member federations and six continental bodies.
“It is our responsibility to keep the dream open to give opportunities to everyone,” the FIFA leaders said.
Still, the backlash from all levels of European soccer since FIFA formally detailed its biennial plan in September led Infantino to say last month that any changes must be reached by consensus without doing harm to the game.
Read: Fast bowler Pat Cummins is new Australia cricket captain
European and South American soccer officials see threats to the status of their own continental and domestic competitions, and an increased workload for players.
Infantino hinted again on Friday that a modified tournament could be a solution to getting wider support.
“Will it be with the World Cup or will it be in another way?” he told members of CAF, which is currently the continental body most closely aligned with FIFA. “We have to study, of course, all this.”
Annual 48-team youth tournaments, instead of the two-yearly World Cups for men and women at under-20 and under-17 level, are also part of FIFA’s plan to develop soccer. It was detailed in Cairo by Arsène Wenger, the former Arsenal coach who is FIFA director of global development.
Infantino warned of losing a generation of youth players whose birth year falls at the wrong time in the current cycle of tournaments.
FIFA has organized an online summit of its 211 members on Dec. 20 to discuss a strategy for future tournaments.
No vote on biennial World Cups is expected then amid the current opposition, which includes a show of unity by UEFA and South American soccer body CONMEBOL. They have created a shared office in London that opens next month.
Diego Maradona: A year without the Argentine Legend
Diego Armando Maradona is the name of a football legend. This extraordinary talent from Argentina died on November 25, 2020, due to cardiac arrest. His demise took everyone by surprise and stunned the entire world. Those who saw Maradona play during the 1980s and early 1990s know what a tremendous footballer he was. His amazing dribbling, ball control, on-field foresight, and leadership ability were unrivaled. This diminutive Argentine was always in the spotlight because of his on- and off-field activities. In honor of Diego Maradona's one-year anniversary, let's take a look back at his life.
Early life and family of Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona was born into a humble family on October 30, 1960. He was his parents' first boy after four girls. His father was a chemical factory worker. Maradona was discovered by a talent scout while playing in his hometown club Estrella Roja at the age of eight. As a ball boy, he used to amuse fans by demonstrating his magic with the ball during halftime of first-division games. He made his full debut with Argentinos Juniors a few years later.
Maradona was romantically linked to several women over his long professional career and after retirement. He had a large family as a result. He was the father of eight children with six different women. Except for Gianinna and Dalma, Maradona initially denied parenthood to any other children. He has two children with Claudia Villafane, whom he divorced in 2003 after almost two decades of marriage. Later, he acknowledged six more children: Diego Junior from Cristiana Sinagra, Jana from Valeria Sabalain, Diego Fernando from Verónica Ojeda, Joana, Lu, and Javielito, Santiago Lara, and Magali Gil from unidentified women.
Read: Diego Maradona: Argentina legend dies aged 60
Among his children, Diego Jr. is a full-time manager who used to play professional football in Italy. Giannina Maradona was married to retired Argentine footballer Sergio Aguero, and the couple has a son named Benjamin Aguero. The couple got divorced in 2012.
Madrid reaches knockout stage in CL for 25th straight time
Yet again, Real Madrid has made it past the group stage of the Champions League.
For the 25th straight time, the Spanish powerhouse will be playing in the competition’s knockout rounds.
Madrid comfortably defeated Sheriff 3-0 on Wednesday to secure its place in the round of 16 with one game to spare in Group D. A draw at home against Inter Milan in the last round will guarantee first place for Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
Read:Man City vs PSG: Champions League match preview, team news, prediction
“We continue along the right path. I like the way we are playing,” Ancelotti said. “The squad is in good shape, everyone is strong physically. It’s important for us to finish top and we’ll be looking to end our group campaign the way we began it.”
David Alaba, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema scored to help the Spanish team advance.
The result eliminated Sheriff, the Moldovan league club that is debuting in the group stage. Sheriff had stunned Madrid with a win in the Spanish capital in their first game.
It was the fifth consecutive win in all competitions for Madrid, which reached 12 points from five matches, two points more than second-place Inter, which has also advanced. Inter beat last-place Shakhtar 2-0 at home earlier Wednesday. Sheriff stayed on six points but is assured a top-three finish.
Sheriff could have advanced with a win against Madrid if Inter lost to Shakhtar. It started its first group-stage campaign with consecutive wins before losing two straight to Inter.
Sheriff entered the match against Madrid having won 12 of its last 13 home games in all competitions, with 10 clean sheets. It had scored in 11 of its last 12 European matches this season.
Read:Champions League: Carrick thrust into limelight at Man U
Madrid, a record 13-time European champion, has reached the knockout stage every time since the 1997-98 season. It failed to qualify for the competition in 1996-97, but it also qualified to the knockout rounds in the previous year. It is the 19th consecutive time Madrid made it to the last 16, since that round was introduced in 2003-04.
Madrid, coming off consecutive wins over Shakhtar, dominated from the start against Sheriff, controlling possession and creating the most significant scoring chances.
Alaba put Madrid ahead with a free kick that deflected off a defender before going into the net in the 30th minute. Kroos added to the lead in first-half stoppage time with a shot from outside the area that hit the crossbar and bounced just over the goal line.
Benzema, who had a goal disallowed for offside in the 10th, scored the third with a strike in the 55th.
Pran-DRU Football: Channel 24, Ekattor TV reach quarterfinals
Channel 24 and Ekattor TV reached the quarterfinals of the Pran-DRU Media Football Tournament eliminating their rivals at Shaheed (Captain) M Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium here on Wednesday.
Channel 24 advanced to the quarterfinal beating ATN News by 1-0 goal in tie breaker while Ekattor TV eliminated ATN Bangla by 4-0 goals to qualify for the last eighth stage.
In the day’s other matches, Boishaki TV, Channel i, Prothom Alo, The Business Standard, Daily Inqilab and BTV won their respective encounters at the same venue.
Channel 1 crushed Ajkaler Khobor 10-0, Prothom Alo beat Bangla Vision 1-0, Inqilab defeated Rising BD 1-0 and BTV beat New Age 4-3 in tiebreaker in the day’s matches.
The Business Standard and Boishaki TV got walkover in the day’s other two fixtures.