United News of Bangladesh

Manchester United has told fans it cannot sustain its current financial losses and risks breaching Premier League rules after facing a backlash over rising ticket prices. The record 20-time English champion, which is co-owned by the American Glazer family and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, said it had lost more than 300 million pounds ($371 million) over the past three years. “This is not sustainable and if we do not act now we are in danger of failing to comply with PSR/FFP (financial) requirements in future years and significantly impacting our ability to compete on the pitch,” United wrote in a letter to fan group The 1958 and seen by The Associated Press. Supporters have hit out after United raised its lowest-priced tickets to 66 pounds ($81) partway through the season. Previously, the lowest priced ticket was 40 pounds ($49). “We will get back to a cash positive position as soon as possible and we will have to make some difficult choices to get there,” United wrote. It said it did “not expect fans to make up all the current shortfall” but would look at its ticket pricing strategy to make sure it was “charging the right amount." The Premier League’s profit and financial sustainability rules (PSR) allow clubs to lose a maximum of 105 million pounds ($132.5 million) over a three-year period or face sanctions such as points deductions. Last season, Everton and Nottingham Forest were deducted points for breaking those rules. There are also sanctions for failing to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) regulations. While United reported losses last year of 113.2 million pounds ($140 million) for the year ending June 30, certain areas of spending are not included the league’s PSR calculations. Still, the club has outlined its concerns about its ability to comply with the rules. Ratcliffe, who is one of Britain’s richest people and completed a partial buyout of United last year, has overseen an extensive restructuring program. That has included cost-saving initiatives that saw staff redundancies of around 250 roles. “None of this has been easy, but we believe it is essential to restoring financial sustainability to the club which will underpin us as we work to get back to the top of English and European football,” United said. Read:Vinícius Júnior reaches 100 goals with Real Madrid as club advances in Champions League United also fired Erik ten Hag as manager in late October, just a few months after handing the Dutchman a contract extension through next season. Then, in December, the club announced that sporting director Dan Ashworth would leave by mutual agreement less than six months after taking over the role as part of Ratcliffe's overhaul. United's financial issues come at a time when it is need of improvements on the field. Last week, head coach Ruben Amorim said this was “the worst, maybe, in the history of Manchester United” after defeat to Brighton left it 13th in the standings and closer to the relegation zone than Champions League qualification. His need for funds to add to his squad could see the departure of leading players like Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho during the midseason transfer window.

The 9th round of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football begins on Friday (Jan 24) with league leader Dhaka Mohammedan SC taking on lowly Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool at 2:45pm at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla in one of the three matches on the day. Defending champions Bashundhara Kings will play Dhaka Wanderers Club also at 2:45pm at the Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur while Rahmatganj MFS will face Bangladesh Police FC in the day’s other fixture also at 2:45 pm at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh. On the following day (Saturday), Dhaka Abahani Limited will play Brothers Union Club at 2:45pm at the Bir Shreshtho Fl Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj while Fortis FC will encounters Chittagong Abahani Limited also at 2:45 pm at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital.   Federation Cup Football: Rahmatganj, Dhaka Abahani Ltd maintain all-win record beating their rivals After the 8th round matches, Dhaka Mohammedan SC Ltd comfortably dominated the 10-team league table with all-win record as the lone team securing full 24 points, the six-time champions Dhaka Abahani Limited followed the leaders distantly collecting 19 points. The old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS remained at distant 3rd place bagging 15 points while defending champions Bashundhara Kings and once giant Brothers Union Club are struggling at the 4th and 5th slots respectively, collecting 14 points each.

Vinícius Júnior reached 100 goals with Real Madrid in the team's 5-1 victory over Salzburg on Wednesday to secure a playoff spot after a slow start in the Champions League. Vinícius scored his 99th and 100th goals, according to UEFA, moving him into third place in the top Brazilian scorers in the Champions League with 28 goals in the competition. Neymar leads the way with 43, with Kaká second on 30. Madrid said Vinícius has 101 goals for the club, with Spanish media saying the discrepancy dates back to a Spanish league goal that many considered an own-goal and should not count for the Brazil forward. “Sometimes it’s pure instinct, sometimes there’s a little more time so I can take a glance and see things which help, like where the goalkeeper is," Vinícius said. "Goals are making me a better player. Early on here (at Real Madrid), I didn’t score so many, but now I might play the odd bad game but still score twice, and that’s a good habit to have.” Madrid, the defending champion and record 15-time European champion, had lost three of its first six matches in the new format of the Champions League and was at risk of elimination. “I truly think that tonight we produced pretty much the complete performance, because we also turned it on in the first half," said Vinícius, who was named the man of the match. "But we really need to keep seeking our absolute best form so that we can keep on scoring goals and defending better as a team.” The victory moved Madrid to 16th place in the 36-team league phase of the competition. “We have some things to fix but we have good momentum,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “The goal tonight was to win and play well. We started a bit soft but were able to improve.” Rodrygo also scored twice for Madrid, and Kylian Mbappé added another goal after a blunder by Salzburg goalkeeper Janis Blaswich. Rodrygo has scored five goals in his last four matches, while Vinícius has three in his last two games. Mbappé also has five goals in his last four matches. Jude Bellingham set up one of Vinícius' goals with a neat back-heel flick. The England player left the match in the 64th minute with a back issue but Ancelotti downplayed the injury. Madrid next visits French club Brest.

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen played his first international match in nearly three years, Brian White and Caden Clark scored their first national team goals and the United States beat Costa Rica 3-0 on Wednesday night in the Americans' second straight friendly without Europe-based players. White scored in the 21st minute and Clark in the 77th as Steffen made a pair of excellent saves to preserve the shutout. Patrick Agyemang added a goal in the 90th, scoring for the second straight game. Steffen had not played for the U.S. since a 2-0 loss in the final World Cup qualifier at Costa Rica on March 30, 2022. He was left off the World Cup roster by coach Gregg Berhalter, who started Matt Turner at the tournament in Qatar, then was restored to the team last October after Mauricio Pochettino took over. Steffen jumped to his left and used his right hand to tip away Alejandro Bran's shot from outside the penalty area in the 37th minute. He showed quick reflexes to parry's Allan Cruz's shot from about 10 yards out in the 56th. Now 29, Steffen returned to the U.S. with Colorado of Major League Soccer last year after playing in just two Premier League matches in 4 1/2 seasons with Manchester City. Playing his third international match, White scored after he sprinted into the penalty area to take a through pass from Diego Luna, took a touch and beat goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado to the far post. White, who turns 29 on Feb. 3, became the oldest American to score his first international goal since 29-year-old Matt Besler in 2016. Clark, a 21-year-old playing his second international match, got his goal when he one-timed a left foot shot at the top of the penalty area from a cross by Emeka Eneli, who stole the ball from Bran on a flank. Read: FIFA chief plans to visit Bangladesh by March to support women's football Agyemang, a 24-year-old who debuted Saturday, scored on an angled shot. Europe-based players return for the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Panama on March 20. That match is during one of just six training camps remaining with the top pool before players arrive ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Steffen was among eight changes to the starting lineup from Saturday's 3-1 win over Venezuela. Defender Miles Robinson, among the three holdovers, made his first international start at right back. Central defenders Tim Ream and Walker Zimmerman were added to the lineup along with left back DeJuan Jones, along with Eneli and Luna in midfield, winger Indiana Vassilev and White. Ream and Zimmerman became the first pair of over-30 nongoalkeepers to start since Ream and Michael Bradley in 2019. Read more: Former Real Madrid and PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas joins Newell's Old Boys on free transfer Playing its first match since hiring Miguel Herrera as coach, Costa Rica gave debuts to four starters: defenders Santiago van der Putten and Ryan Bolaños, midfielder Creichel Pérez and forward Josimar Méndez. In addition, goalkeeper Anthony Walker and defender Kevin Espinoza debuted at the start of the second half.

Head of global football authority Gianni Infantino on Wednesday said he would like to visit Bangladesh in the next two months and hoped to fund the country's women's football. The FIFA chief made the comments when he called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in the Swiss city of Davos. Infantino praised Yunus' ideas in making sports carbon neutral and said the FIFA would help develop soccer in the South Asian region, said Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder. Dr Yunus engages with global leaders, seeks support to bring back stolen money "I want to visit Bangladesh in the next two months," Infantino told Prof Yunus. He said that FIFA would like to fund women's football in Bangladesh after the Chief Adviser sought his support to build facilities such as dormitories and other infrastructures for Bangladeshi women footballers. Infantino said that FIFA would also help women's football in Saudi Arabia and added that the Bangladeshi diaspora in the kingdom will also benefit from the FIFA move. UN chief Guterres meets Dr Yunus in Davos Infantino regretted that he could not visit Bangladesh during the ongoing youth festival despite being invited. Lamiya Morshed, SDGs Affairs Coordinator, and Ambassador Tareq Md Ariful Islam, Bangladesh Permanent Representative in Geneva, also attended the meeting.

Former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas joined the Argentinian club Newell's Old Boys on a free transfer on Wednesday. The 38-year-old Costa Rican, who recently retired from international soccer, won three Champions League titles with Real but has not played since the end of his stint in Paris last May. “Thank God we are returning to the pitch," Navas said on his social media accounts. "I feel ready, willing and very happy to take this new challenge.” Mainz signs US midfielder Lennard Maloney from Bundesliga rival Heidenheim Newell's, Lionel Messi's boyhood club, is based in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northeast of Buenos Aires. Newell's called Navas “an international legend” on social media. He has played in the last three World Cups for his country. The length of his deal with Newell's has not been disclosed.

German-born U.S. midfielder Lennard Maloney has joined Mainz from Bundesliga rival Heidenheim, where he was dropped last month after expressing his wish to leave. The 25-year-old Maloney, who had informed Heidenheim he was going to join Mainz when his contract expired at the end of the season, got his wish Tuesday when the clubs agreed on a deal. “Maloney has been able to prove himself in the Bundesliga over the last year and a half,” said Mainz sporting director Niko Bungert said. “His preferred position is as a number six and as a player, he’s the perfect fit for Mainz 05. He brings a strong mentality, as well as a willingness to run hard, and is also strong at winning challenges and aerial duels. Lennard will find it easy to fit into our squad with his warm, open personality.” Maloney signed a contract to 2028. After 18 rounds of the league, Heidenheim is in the relegation playoff spot while sixth-place Mainz is on course for European qualification. Read: Messi scores goal as Inter Miami opens preseason play with friendly win over Club America Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt said in December he wasn’t picking the defensive midfielder because he lacked commitment amid a series of disappointing performances. “I can only count on players in this phase who are 100% focused on the interests of Heidenheim,” Schmidt said. “From a coaching perspective I simply want another focus and another level of performance from my vice-captain.” The Berlin-born Maloney has made two appearances for the United States — both in 2023.

If this is Mohamed Salah's final season at Liverpool, he is going out in style. The Egypt striker scored his 50th European goal for Liverpool and his 22nd in all competitions this season to help Arne Slot's team secure a place in the Champions League round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over Lille on Tuesday. “Hopefully (it's) not the last one,” said Salah, whose contract expires at the end of the season and has increasingly raised the prospect that this could be his last with the Merseyside club. Despite being at his brilliant best for a Liverpool team that is top of the standings in the Champions League and the Premier League, the 32-year-old Salah has just months remaining until he becomes a free agent. Negotiations Salah, who signed a three-year contract in 2022, has been free to talk to clubs outside of England from Jan. 1. He has indicated his preference is to stay at Liverpool but in recent months has used media interviews to voice his frustration over the failure to reach an agreement. Earlier his month he said there was “far away” from progress. Asked after his landmark goal against Lille if he would stay long enough to score another 50, he said: “I'm not sure about that, but I will give it my best.” What's the holdup? That isn't clear. At the age of 32, this could be Salah's last major contract and it isn’t known how much money he would want to remain at Anfield, where he has established himself as a club icon after winning a full set of trophies including the Champions League and the Premier League since joining from Roma in 2017. Read: Champions League kicks off in January with a crucial PSG vs. Man City clash There are potential risks to giving long-term contracts to players in their 30s. But there is no sign of Salah's standards dipping. He has been pivotal to Liverpool’s success this season and is currently leading the scoring charts in the Premier League ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. With his goal against Lille, he became the first Liverpool player to score 50 in Europe competitions. What does Arne Slot say? It feels like the Liverpool manager has constantly had to field questions about the future of his star player. After Salah's latest moment of brilliance — sweeping a shot past Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier to put Liverpool 1-0 up in the 34th minute — Slot piled more praise on his striker. “Special, I think is the word that describes Mo's performance at this club the best — or maybe there are even better words to use, but he’s been outstanding for this club for so many years.” What are his options? Salah can talk to teams outside of England and was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent years. Read more: Mbappé puts on a show again with 2 goals as Real Madrid beats Las Palmas 4-1 As a free agent, he would likely have many suitors among Europe's biggest clubs. Contract headaches Salah is not the only Liverpool star with an expiring contract. Captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also in the final months of their deals.

Rahmatganj MFS and Dhaka Abahani Limited maintained all–win run to reach the qualifiers stage of the Federation Cup Football 2024-25 from Group B with one match to spare outplaying their respective rivals at two separate venues across the country on Tuesday. Group B leader Rahmatganj MFS outplayed bottom-placed Chittagong Abahani Ltd  by 3-0 goal at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh Tuesday afternoon. Egyptian midfielder Mostafa Mahmoud scored first for the old Dhaka outfit Rahmantagnj in the 32nd minute (1-0) while Ghana striker Samuel Boateng further widen the Rahmatganj’s margin in the 42nd minute to lead the first half by 2-0 goals. Local forward Fahim Nur Toha confirmed the Rahmatganj’s comprehensive victory scoring the 3rd goal in the 71st minute (3-0). Chittagong Kings crush Rajshahi by 111 Runs Chittagong Abahani defender Sajon Miah got the marching order in the 38th minute after receiving a direct red card. In the day’s other match, Dhaka Abahani Limited beat lowly Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool also by the same margin at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla Tuesday afternoon. After a barren first half, Abahani Limited  earned a comfortable victory scoring three goals in a row within just six minutes. Abahani got spot kick in the 65th minute when their onrushing Enamul Gazi was roughly tackled by Youngmen’s defender in the danger zone and Abahani defender Yeasin Khan did no mistake to convert  a penalty (1-0), Another defender Hasan Murad doubled the Abahani margin just three minutes later (2-0) while midfielder Mahadi Yousuf Khan sealed the fate of the match scoring the 3rd goal for Abahani Ltd in the 71st minutes (3-0).     Fed Cup Football: Dhaka Abahani to play Youngmen’s Club, Rahmatganj MFS to face Chittagong Abahani on Tuesday Both Rahmatganj MFS and Dhaka Abahani Limited, which earlier confirmed the qualifier stage with two matches to spare, now top the group list securing full nine points each from straight three matches, will meet each other in the last group match to decide the Group B champions. However, Rahmatganj MFS top the list with better goal differences and Dhaka Abahani are in the 2nd slot due to poor goal differences. Dhaka Mohammedan SC collected three points from three matches to eliminate from the race with one win and two defeats. Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool earned one point from two matches while Chittagong Abahani Ltd also bagged one point playing three matches to eliminate from the meet. In Group A, Fortis FC topped the group list securing seven points from all the four group matches with two wins, one draw and one defeat while defending champions Bashundhara Kings, Brothers Union Club and Bangladesh Police FC are still in the race securing six, six and four points respectively, playing three matches each.

The first Champions League games to be played in January include one with shocking possible consequences in an unpredictable debut season for the 36-team format. Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City on Wednesday is a clash of super-wealthy state-backed teams currently a barely believable 25th and 22nd in the standings. If the 2020 beaten finalist and 2023 champion play to a draw at Parc des Princes, both could start the 18-game final round on Jan. 29 outside the top-24 places that qualify for the knockout stage. The new format that replaced the traditional groups — now with eight games instead of six, facing eight different opponents, and two in January — is unknown territory even for UEFA, whose preseason prediction that eight points should ensure advancing likely will fall short. However, few imagined what would play out in the first six rounds. Man City and PSG have struggled, Real Madrid has lost half its games in 20th place despite adding Kylian Mbappé to a title-winning team, and lowest-ranked debutant Brest has cruised to four wins and seventh in the standings, just ahead of Lille. “It would have been impossible to list these eight clubs as being in the top eight positions,” Giorgio Marchetti, the UEFA deputy general secretary, told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “There is a lot of new fresh air.” “I think the format has an impact,” Marchetti said, pointing to comments by Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi that it is more difficult to prepare for eight different opponents instead of three. “It is more of a challenge.” Which positions are teams playing for? The top eight in the standings on Jan. 29 advance directly to the round of 16 that starts in March. They will likely include current leader Liverpool and second-place Barcelona which are the only two teams already certain to finish in the top 24. Liverpool is the only team to win all six games. Teams placed from ninth to 24th go into the new knockout playoffs round. Nos. 9-16 will be seeded in the draw on Jan. 31 and will play the second leg at home. Teams placing 17 to 24 host the first legs. Nos. 25-36 in the standings are eliminated and do not transfer to the Europa League. Already out are Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys which each lost all six games. Tuesday games Liverpool hosts Lille and Barcelona is at 15th-place Benfica. Atletico Madrid in 11th place can rise above visiting Bayer Leverkusen, which is in fourth place with just one point more. Aston Villa, the 1982 European Cup winner, can qualify for the round of 16 with a win at 16th-place Monaco. Stuttgart, in 26th place, is favored to win at Slovan and move to 10 points, which would put pressure on PSG and Man City. Wednesday games Real Madrid hosts struggling Salzburg, and third-place Arsenal can secure its round of 16 entry — and do Man City a favor — by winning at home against 24th-place Dinamo Zagreb. Sixth-place Inter Milan goes to Sparta Prague, and Bayern Munich, in a surprising 10th place with 12 points, travels to Feyenoord which is 18th with 10 points. Brest goes to Schalke’s stadium in neutral Germany to face Shakhtar Donetsk, which has four points and likely must win to stay in contention. Why is the Champions League playing in January? For the money, mostly. The most influential clubs wanted a bigger and more lucrative Champions League and got two extra midweek matches for all. The congested calendar for soccer left few options. Historically, European club competitions took a midwinter break until March. Then February was occupied in 2001 by the Champions League when a new format with a second group stage started. February stayed on the calendar when the round of 16 started in 2004, and for the next two decades. So when UEFA decided in 2022 on this eight-game league phase, January was needed even though some leagues in Nordic countries do not start until March, and others are still on midwinter breaks. Austrian champion Sturm Graz, which plays at Atalanta on Tuesday, has not played a domestic game since Dec. 7 and will not resume until Feb. 1.