United News of Bangladesh

Gianni Infantino is set to take his FIFA presidential re-election campaign to Japan this week, where he is scheduled to meet leaders of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Wednesday. The meeting comes after Infantino apologised last week in Zurich, Switzerland, to FIFA's 37-member ruling council, which he chairs, for "mistakes" in putting together a now-abandoned $4.2 billion plan to sell off World Cup commercial rights. The council is FIFA's main decision-making body, comprising officials from across the world. The planned meeting with Asian soccer leaders will take place at a five-star hotel in Tokyo, with media access largely restricted. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the AFC president, initially opposed Infantino and his proposal to establish a subsidiary to run the World Cup. However, he may have moved closer to the FIFA president, according to a report by The Athletic. Infantino has offered his critics an open and independent review of FIFA's decision-making process. Infantino seeks support ahead of election An Associated Press tally suggests Infantino is nearing the simple majority of votes from FIFA's 211 member federations needed to secure re-election in March for a fourth term. Some decisive votes could come from Asia. The AFC had joined criticism of Infantino following the proposed World Cup commercial rights sell-off, but its members appear divided over his leadership. Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup, has expressed support for Infantino, while Jordan has declared its opposition. The FIFA Council is scheduled to hold its next meeting on Dec 16 in Doha, Qatar. According to the AP tally, 87 of FIFA's 211 member federations have indicated support for Infantino, either through individual comments or by endorsing statements of backing issued by their regional confederations. Europe accounts for the largest bloc of opposition. FIFA's election rules No incumbent FIFA president has lost an election since 1974. The deadline for candidates to submit nominations to challenge Infantino is Nov 18. Under FIFA rules, candidates must have "played an active role in association football (e.g. as a player or an official within FIFA, a confederation or an association, etc.) for two of the last five years before being proposed." They must also secure declarations of support from at least five of FIFA's 211 member federations. "FIFA is a massive patronage network," Jules Boykoff, a political scientist at Pacific University and a former professional soccer player, told the Associated Press. "It brings in billions from the men's World Cup and distributes it to football associations around the world in exchange for loyalty," he said. "The funds that FIFA distributes to soccer bodies around the world are meant to develop soccer, but there's scant oversight," Boykoff added. "To say FIFA is in need of structural overhaul it to make an enormous understatement."

Lionel Messi scored twice and provided an assist as Inter Miami cruised to a 3-1 victory over Atlanta United in Major League Soccer (MLS) on Saturday. Germán Berterame opened the scoring in the final minute of the first half, converting a move set up by Messi and Luis Suárez to put Miami ahead. Messi then scored twice in four minutes, finding the net in the 56th and 60th minutes to extend Miami’s lead to 3-0. Berterame assisted on both goals, while Suárez provided an assist on Messi’s second strike. With his 15th assist of the season, Messi drew level with Los Angeles FC’s Son Heung-min at the top of the league’s assist standings. He also became the first player in MLS history to record at least 15 assists in three consecutive seasons. The Argentine star’s goals took his league-leading tally to 25. He won the Golden Boot last season with 29 goals and, alongside Josef Martínez, is one of only two players in MLS history to score at least 25 goals in two regular seasons. Messi now has 40 goal contributions this season, nine short of Carlos Vela’s MLS record of 49, set with Los Angeles FC in 2019. Miami have four matches remaining. Berterame has recorded eight assists, while Suárez registered a career-high 11th assist. Atlanta pulled one back in the 89th minute when Fafà Picault converted a penalty. Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair made two saves, while Atlanta’s Lucas Hoyos also stopped two shots. Atlanta had played out a 2-2 draw with Miami at home earlier in September. Inter Miami will visit the New York Red Bulls next Saturday, while Atlanta United will host Chicago Fire.

Morgan Guilavogui scored two goals and Sergi Solans added another as Real Salt Lake earned a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night. RSL goalkeeper Rafael Cabral recorded one save for his side (10-14-6). Guilavogui opened the scoring in the 11th minute, slipping a shot from near the right end line past goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland and inside the back post. Solans extended the lead to 2-0 in the 14th minute, slamming home a first-touch shot off a deflection. Taylor Calheira pulled one back for Sporting (6-20-4) in the 26th minute. However, Guilavogui capped the scoring in the 61st minute by slamming home a first-touch shot off a feed from Noel Caliskan. The 28-year-old forward, currently in his first MLS season, logged his first career multi-goal game. Cleveland finished the match with five saves for Sporting KC. Now winless in four straight matches, Kansas City's 22 points this season are the fewest in MLS. Sporting also holds the league's worst goal differential at minus-39. Heading into Saturday, Montreal (minus-24) was the only other team with a goal differential worse than minus-17 (Austin). The defeat leaves Sporting KC as the only team in the Western Conference officially eliminated from contention for the 2026 MLS Cup playoffs.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 172 in 33.4 overs while chasing 272, losing to Zimbabwe by 99 runs in the opening match of the tri-series in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The defeat exposed Bangladesh’s batting frailties once again. After reaching 42 without loss in the first six overs, they lost wickets in clusters and never recovered, with Tanzid Hasan Tamim’s 46 and Saif Hassan’s 26 among the few notable contributions. Soumya Sarkar was the first to go, caught off Blessing Muzarabani for nine off 17 balls. Tanzid kept the scoring moving but fell for 46 after surviving a dropped catch the previous delivery. Ryan Burl took the catch at point. Najmul Hossain Shanto followed, trapped lbw by Brad Evans, before captain Towhid Hridoy fell for 13 off 21 balls to Sikandar Raza. Raza had to review the decision after the on-field umpire turned down his appeal. Mosaddek Hossain was also dismissed lbw, this time by Wellington Masakadza, leaving Bangladesh five wickets down and still needing 160 runs. Saif offered some resistance before falling for 26. Rishad Hossain made 23, but Zimbabwe wrapped up the innings in 33.4 overs. Earlier, Zimbabwe recovered from a poor start to post 271 for eight in their 50 overs after winning the toss and batting first. Taskin Ahmed tore through the top order, taking three wickets in the opening seven overs as Zimbabwe slipped to 24 for three. But Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor turned the innings around with a 150-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Taylor scored 81 off 101 balls, while Ervine made 93 off 106, hitting nine fours. Their partnership took Zimbabwe past 150 and put them in a position to set Bangladesh a challenging target. Saif broke the stand by dismissing Taylor with a catch off a reverse sweep, then removed Sikandar Raza in his next over. Ervine continued until Shoriful Islam had him caught behind, nine runs short of a century. Shoriful later dismissed Brad Evans to finish with two wickets for 47 runs. Taskin took three for 44, while Saif claimed two for 17. Zimbabwe’s lower order added valuable runs at the end, with Wellington Masakadza and Newman Nyamhuri putting on an unbeaten 37 for the ninth wicket. Nyamhuri finished on 21 not out. Ervine was named player of the match.

Real Madrid has again called for La Liga president Javier Tebas to resign after he compared the club's efforts to discredit referees with propaganda tactics used by Nazi Germany. Tebas criticised Madrid in a lengthy social media post on Friday over its club television channel's repeated claims that referees have harmed its chances of winning matches. The channel regularly publishes video clips highlighting what it considers serious errors by match officials assigned to upcoming games involving the 15-time European champions. Tebas likened the club's approach to the methods used by Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister of Nazi Germany during World War II. “Real Madrid's executive has an orchestra of mouthpieces and Real Madrid leads the way,” Tebas wrote. He accused the club of repeatedly selecting incidents that favour its position, highlighting alleged injustices, fuelling suspicion and identifying opponents. Tebas clarified that his comparison concerned propaganda techniques rather than Nazi ideology or Real Madrid supporters. In response, Madrid issued a statement saying Tebas, who has repeatedly clashed with club president Florentino Pérez over the years, was unfit to lead the organisation representing Spain's top football clubs. The club demanded his “immediate resignation”, arguing that his repeated actions demonstrated a lack of neutrality, respect and impartiality incompatible with his institutional responsibilities. It also described his continued criticism of Madrid and those seeking greater transparency and reform as a serious problem for Spanish football. Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has also complained that refereeing decisions regularly work against the club, which holds a record 36 Spanish league titles. In September, Madrid called for Tebas to step down after he criticised the club for targeting the refereeing team following its 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid. In Friday's statement, Madrid reiterated its criticism of Tebas over what it considers his inadequate response to an ongoing judicial investigation into alleged payments made by Barcelona to an official associated with the refereeing committee of the Spanish Football Federation over several years.

Chelsea captain Reece James has undergone minor knee surgery following an injury sustained during a training session, the Premier League club said on Friday. The club described the operation as minor but did not disclose the exact nature of the injury. The England international has suffered a series of injuries affecting his knee and hamstring throughout his career. A hamstring problem also forced the 26-year-old defender to miss part of the 2026 World Cup. Chelsea did not provide a timeline for James' return to competitive action. “Reece has already begun his road to recovery and will be supported by the club's medical department at Cobham during this rehabilitation phase,” the club said in a statement. “Everyone at Chelsea wishes Reece a speedy recovery and will support him on his road to return,” it added. Chelsea, currently sixth in the Premier League standings, will travel to face Everton on Saturday.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino apologised to the organisation's ruling council on Thursday for mistakes in handling a secretive investment proposal linked to the World Cup but failed to satisfy critics seeking explanations and considering efforts to remove him from office. Football officials attended the meeting in Zurich hoping to get answers about two major controversies involving Infantino this year: a proposed $4.2 billion sale of World Cup commercial rights that was abandoned and the red-card case involving US forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, in which US President Donald Trump intervened. However, European delegates said they left the three-and-a-half-hour meeting disappointed, citing a lack of clear answers on both issues. “No satisfactory answers were provided,” German football federation chief Bernd Neuendorf told reporters. He is one of eight European representatives on the 37-member FIFA Council, which is chaired by Infantino. Infantino presented no documents on the proposed $4.2 billion investment deal, which he abandoned in July following strong opposition, particularly from Europe. He also did not explain the Balogun red-card case or Trump's intervention, European delegates said. FIFA will review whether to continue awarding its peace prize, which was introduced and presented to Trump last December. Infantino further frustrated European officials by asking them to submit their questions in writing during their only meeting before the Nov 18 deadline for nominating a challenger in the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March. “The man has to answer those questions. If he doesn't answer those questions, no, he is not fit to be the FIFA president,” said Debbie Hewitt, head of the English Football Association and a FIFA vice president. She said Infantino appeared to offer his apology with some remorse. FIFA says investment details remain confidential European officials pressed Infantino to provide written evidence about the proposed private equity investment involving Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The plan, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, was intended to establish a commercial rights subsidiary for the World Cup, with investors led by Kushner holding at least a 20% stake. The proposal sparked a major dispute within world football and became the biggest crisis of Infantino's nearly 11-year presidency. Infantino did not speak to reporters after the meeting but released a video statement apologising for mistakes in communication and consultation over the project, which he said had led to several consequences. He stressed that the investment plan had only been a proposal and was never a finalised deal. FIFA said in a separate statement that details of the project remained confidential because of ongoing legal proceedings in the United States. The FIFA Council is the organisation's main decision-making body. Its members are elected by their respective continental football confederations for four-year terms, with most serving as heads of their national football associations. FIFA pays council members an annual allowance of $250,000, while continental confederation presidents receive $300,000. UEFA pursues legal action against FIFA leadership European football's governing body, UEFA, is leading efforts to remove Infantino before or during the March presidential election. Infantino angered football officials in Europe, North America and Asia by developing the Kushner investment proposal in secret for months. The move reinforced concerns within UEFA that he pursues major initiatives without consulting other football leaders. “We need a person of integrity, someone who can be expected to restore the reputation of the association, which has undoubtedly been lost,” Neuendorf said. UEFA has also asked US courts for permission to obtain evidence for a criminal complaint against Infantino in Switzerland. The filings raise allegations of possible financial mismanagement over the valuation of the proposed subsidiary responsible for World Cup commercial rights. FIFA's lawyers have sought to block or delay the evidence requests, describing UEFA's actions as a “smear campaign”. African officials back Infantino Support from African football federations could prove important in the presidential election. Africa has 54 of FIFA's 211 member associations, and its voters have played a significant role in leadership contests over the past five decades. Ahmed Yahya, a FIFA Council member and head of Mauritania's football federation, said Infantino remained the right person to lead the organisation. Infantino's proposal to provide an additional $15 million in funding to each of FIFA's 211 member associations over the next four years made progress on Thursday. Each association was already set to receive $10 million from FIFA through 2030. Yahya said Infantino was helping develop football worldwide, adding that his experience on the African continent informed his support. The FIFA presidential election will take place on March 18 in Rabat, Morocco. The country's football chief, Fouzi Lekjaa, is an influential council member and an ally of Infantino. Morocco will co-host the 2030 men's World Cup with Spain and Portugal. It is also competing with Spain to host the tournament's final, a decision that could influence political alliances ahead of the FIFA election. Next FIFA Council meeting scheduled in Qatar The FIFA Council is expected to meet next on Dec 16 in Doha, Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup and remains supportive of Infantino. Azerbaijan is another ally. Its senior football official, Elkhan Mammadov, is part of Infantino's inner circle, and the country will host a global under-15 boys' tournament later this month, providing a potential opportunity for election campaigning. FIFA will also hold an extraordinary congress on Nov 23, five days after the presidential candidate nomination deadline, to confirm the hosts of the 2031 and 2035 Women's World Cups. The only bids are a joint proposal from the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica for the 2031 tournament, and a bid from the four United Kingdom football associations for the 2035 edition.

Lionel Messi provided an assist as reigning champions Inter Miami secured a place in the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs with a 2-0 victory over New York City FC on Wednesday night. Rodrigo De Paul scored from Messi's assist, while Germán Berterame also found the net to seal the win for Miami. Luis Suárez provided an assist as well, helping Miami record back-to-back victories for the first time since July. Miami missed the playoffs when Messi joined the club in 2023. However, the team has qualified for the postseason in each of the past three seasons, losing to Atlanta United in the first round in 2024 before defeating Vancouver last year to claim the club's first MLS Cup title. Wednesday's victory followed Miami's 4-0 win over DC United last Saturday, when Messi and Suárez scored twice each. It was also the second league victory for new coach Cristian "Kily" González, who took charge on September 16. Berterame opened the scoring in the 20th minute with his eighth goal of the season. De Paul doubled Miami's lead just before half-time. Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair saved a penalty from Nicolás Fernández in the final minute to secure his second consecutive clean sheet. It has been a remarkable year for Messi, who led Argentina to its second consecutive World Cup final before announcing his retirement from international football a month later. He now has an opportunity to add another trophy to his collection.

Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has been fined £25,000 ($33,200) and warned over comments he made after a Premier League draw with Manchester United that questioned the referee’s impartiality. Arbeloa accepted a charge of “acting in an improper manner” over his remarks following the 1-1 draw between the teams at Fulham’s Craven Cottage on Sept 20. “I think all fouls for them,” the Spanish coach said after the match, referring to Manchester United, who had lost to Manchester City the previous weekend following a controversial goal. “Every decision was for them,” Arbeloa added. “And I knew, I knew after the game against Man City that they don't let Manchester United lose here.” In its written explanation published on Wednesday, an independent commission said it believed Arbeloa’s remarks suggested that match officials had repeatedly favoured Manchester United during the game. The commission also said his comments implied that the officials or others might have deliberately tried to compensate for a mistake made in a different match. Arbeloa is in his first season as Fulham manager after leaving Real Madrid.  

Mallory Swanson scored her first goal since the 2024 Olympic gold medal match to help the United States earn a 2-2 draw against Spain in a women's international friendly on Tuesday night. Swanson scored in the 86th minute after Ashley Sanchez had pulled one goal back early in the second half. Spain had taken a 2-0 lead through first-half goals from Alexia Putellas and Salma Paralluelo. “The mentality of this team has always been that you stay with it. That's what this crest means,” Swanson said after coming on as a substitute in the second half. The match was the second of two friendlies between the teams. Spain, the 2023 Women's World Cup champions and the world's top-ranked team, won the first match 2-0 in Washington, DC, on Saturday. Spain has already qualified for next summer's Women's World Cup in Brazil, while the United States used the matches to prepare for World Cup qualifying later this year. Putellas, a two-time Ballon d'Or winner, marked her 150th appearance for Spain by opening the scoring in the 27th minute. She tapped in a pass from Clara Pinedo at the far post to score her 43rd international goal. Five minutes later, US goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce misplayed a ball forward, allowing Spain to attack. Putellas set up Paralluelo, whose powerful shot struck the crossbar before going into the net to make it 2-0. It was the first time since 2011 that the United States had conceded two first-half goals in consecutive matches. Sanchez reduced the deficit early in the second half with a shot into the far corner. It was her first start for the United States since a match against Argentina on Oct. 30, 2024. Sanchez has been in strong form for North Carolina Courage in the National Women's Soccer League, scoring a league-leading 20 goals in 27 matches. Swanson completed the comeback attempt when Michelle Cooper collected a long pass from Kate Del Fava and sent the ball across for Swanson to volley home. Swanson's previous goal for the United States came in the 1-0 victory over Brazil in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics. She spent 2025 on maternity leave after giving birth to her daughter. “One of our big things in the game plan was finding those spaces in the box and being clinical in the box, and you could see that,” Swanson said. Lily Yohannes nearly scored a late winner for the United States in stoppage time, but Spain goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez made a diving save. “We always want to win. That's the type of team that we are, and I think if we had 20 more minutes, we definitely probably would have won,” Sanchez said. “But it was good just to get a tie against a team like that and come back from 2-0 down.” Spain controlled much of the match despite missing several key players. Aitana Bonmati was still recovering from a broken leg, while Vicky Lopez, Mariona Caldentey and goalkeeper Cata Coll were also unavailable because of injuries. Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, Mallory Swanson's husband, and tennis player Ben Shelton, who is dating US player Trinity Rodman, were among the spectators at Subaru Park.