United News of Bangladesh

Defending champion Argentina had to put the celebrations on hold for a while after securing a place at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday before kickoff against archrival Brazil. Bolivia’s failure to beat Uruguay meant Argentina had enough cushion in South American qualifying to secure one of the continent’s six direct spots for the 48-team World Cup set to be co-hosted next year by the US, Canada and Mexico. After Bolivia's 0-0 draw with Uruguay at El Alto, Argentina beat Brazil 4-1 in front of 85,000 fans at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium despite the absence of Lionel Messi. Brazil's worst deficit in South American World Cup qualifying history compounded pressure on coach Dorival Júnior, who took over in January of last year. Brazil is in fourth place in South American qualifying with 21 points, 10 behind Argentina but only two behind second-place Ecuador, which was held to a 0-0 draw by Chile. Third-place Uruguay and fifth-place Paraguay also have 21 points, and Colombia is one point behind them in sixth. Seventh-place Venezuela has 15 points after a 1-0 win over 9th-place Peru. AFC Asian Cup: Hamza's Bangladesh dominate India in Shillong but waste chances as game ends goalless Brazil was missing three regular starters — goalkeeper Alisson, defender Gabriel Magalhães and midfielder Bruno Guimarães — and wasn't really competitive from start to finish. It's the first time Argentina has won both matches against Brazil in a World Cup qualifying tournament. The home victory was also Argentina's first against the Brazilians since qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. Argentina has led South American qualifying from the start, with few hiccups and major away wins at Brazil and Uruguay. But coach Lionel Scaloni has not fielded 37-year-old Messi in several games, which still raises doubts on whether the star will play at the World Cup next year. Messi has an injury to his adductor and was not included in Argentina’s squad for the two latest matches. Argentina scored its two first goals in only 12 minutes of play, both thanks to accurate passing and some clumsy Brazilian defending. Julián Alvarez netted the first in the 4th minute after Marquinhos, Murillo and Guilherme Arana failed to reach the ball. The Argentina striker shot between the legs of goalkeeper Bento from close range. Argentina scored again eight minutes later with Enzo Fernández, once again from close range after a low cross by Gonzalo Molina. Brazil got one back via Matheus Cunha in the 26th after a mistake by Cristian Romero, who lost the ball to the Brazilian by the edge of the box. Enzo Fernandez found Alexis Mac Allister bursting into the penalty box unmarked 11 minutes later to make it 3-1 to Argentina. During the break, Brazil sought to get some grip by boosting its presence in the midfield with Joao Gomes and the substitution of Murillo and striker Rodrygo. But it was to no avail, with Giuliano Simeone scoring for Argentina in the 71st minute. “All of us can do better than this. It isn't only about Dorival,” Brazil's captain Marquinhos said. “This is not only the coach's fault, it is the players too. We need to have our heads in the right place. They (Argentina) also had tough times before and they overcame it. We can do it too.”

An Argentine court on Tuesday commenced the trial of seven healthcare professionals accused of negligence in the death of football legend Diego Maradona at the age of 60. Maradona suffered a cardiac arrest on November 25, 2020, while under their care at a house near Buenos Aires. A panel of three judges will determine whether the defendants—including a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, and several other medical staff—are guilty of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Prosecutors argue that the accused failed to provide proper medical treatment. Patricio Ferrari, leading the prosecution, claims that between November 11 and 25, 2020, Maradona was placed in home care in a private neighborhood in Tigre, Buenos Aires, without full mental capacity to consent. Ferrari described the hospitalization as reckless and lacking proper oversight. Court allows transfer of soccer great Diego Maradona's remains to public mausoleum “They condemned him to isolation in that house... then deliberately and cruelly let him die,” Ferrari stated. He presented an image of Maradona lying in bed with a visibly swollen abdomen at the time of his death. Maradona’s family, including his eldest daughters Dalma and Giannina, his former partner Verónica Ojeda, and another daughter, Jana, attended the trial. Before proceedings began, Ojeda shared a video of their son Diego Fernando wearing a T-shirt featuring Maradona’s image and the word “justice.” The trial, expected to last up to four months, will have three hearings per week. Neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s personal doctor for four years, is a key defendant. He had operated on Maradona to remove a blood clot from his brain just weeks before his passing. Also on trial are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, who prescribed Maradona’s medication; psychologist Carlos Díaz; Nancy Forlini, a coordinator from the medical company overseeing his care; Mariano Perroni, a representative of the nursing service provider; Dr. Pedro Di Spagna, who monitored his treatment; and nurse Ricardo Almirón. Maradona’s Golden Ball trophy set for auction: Butcher’s jests and Ardiles’ reverence at Hampden Park Another nurse, Gisela Madrid, who was also indicted, will face trial separately later this year.

A consignment of 52,500 metric tonnes of wheat from Argentina has arrived at Chattogram port. The vessel MV INDIGO OMEGA docked at the port on Thursday with the shipment, which was imported through an open international tender, according to a media release from the Ministry of Commerce. Port officials will begin unloading the wheat after sample testing, which is scheduled for today (Thursday). “All necessary measures have been taken to ensure the quality of the consignment,” the release said. Ship with 50,200 MT Argentine wheat arrives at Ctg port This follows an earlier shipment of the same amount, which arrived at the port on February 5 from the South American country, reinforcing Bangladesh’s efforts to maintain a steady wheat supply through international procurement.

Referring to Bangladesh's agreement with Argent LNG, BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun has said signing a non-binding HOA (Heads of Agreement) that outlines key terms but leaves room for negotiation is the first step in a process. "The path to a comprehensive, binding contract will follow laws of Bangladesh including the Public Procurement Act, 2006, the Public Procurement Rules, 2008 and the Foreign Private Investment (Promotion and Protection) Act, 1980," Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chairman Ashik said in a statement on Sunday. Chief Adviser's press wing shared the statement. Read: BIDA launches FDI Heatmap to attract targeted investment in key sectors Quoting a company statement, Reuters earlier on Friday reported that Argent LNG, which is developing a 25 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) LNG facility in Louisiana, has signed a non-binding agreement with the government of Bangladesh to purchase up to 5 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually. This is the first major U.S. LNG supply deal since President Donald Trump took office on Monday, and according to the parties, reflects industry confidence in the new administration's pro-energy policies, the report reads.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has urged Argentina to build on the emotional footballing ties that Bangladesh has with the country to increase bilateral cooperation in different fields, including trade. "We have an emotional connection. We can build on that. The ground is ready. We can take it to other fields," Dr Yunus said on Sunday, noting Bangladeshi people's overwhelming support for the Argentina football team. The Chief Adviser made the remarks when Argentine Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcelo Cesa called on him at his office in State Guest House Jamuna. Dr Yunus urged the Ambassador to look for the opportunity of setting up ventures on full ownership or joint venture for cotton related trade and investment with Bangladesh and explore potential for energy cooperation. Ambassador Cesa told the Chief Adviser that Argentina and Bangladesh have many areas of cooperation unexplored, which can hold tremendous potential for the two countries. Read: Argentina Ambassador meets BGMEA Administrator to discuss trade and investment potential He also requested to consider opening the Embassy of Bangladesh in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "The good feeling that we have, we can make good use of it for the benefit of the two countries," he said. The Ambassador noted that Argentina currently has nearly 700 million US dollars of trade now in their favour and that they want to make it balanced by increasing imports from Bangladesh.  

Lionel Messi's Argentina drew Venezuela 1-1 in a South American World Cup qualifying match Thursday that was delayed for 30 minutes due to a wet pitch at Monumental Stadium in the Venezuelan city of Maturin. Argentina, which leads the 10-team round-robin competition, now has 19 points after nine matches. Colombia, with 16 points, remains in second place after losing 1-0 at Bolivia. The two results momentarily put Brazil out of automatic World Cup berths, in seventh place with 10 points. The Brazilians will face Chile in Santiago later on Thursday. Argentina's lead in the competition could be reduced on Friday if Uruguay, with 15 points, wins at Peru. Defender Nicolás Otamendi opened the scoring for Argentina in the 13th minute. He pushed the ball to the empty net after a cross by Messi and a mistake by goalkeeper Rafael Romo. Salomón Rondón equalized in the 65th minute with a header for the only South American team that has yet to play in a World Cup. “The pitch did not help us do what we wanted to do," Messi said. He returned to the national team after missing the two previous rounds of South American qualifying due to ligament damage in his right ankle. Venezuela defender Jon Aramburu said his team wanted a win to show its ambition. Read: Messi quickly starts the process of looking ahead after Inter Miami wins MLS Supporters Shield “The rain affected the match, we couldn't play well,” he said. “We drew against a team that everyone knows of its potential. But this team is here to beat them, to compete.” Venezuela's next match will be at Paraguay on Tuesday, the same day that Argentina will host Bolivia. Colombia, the last unbeaten team in South American qualifying, was shocked at Bolivia in the Municipal Stadium in the city of El Alto, more than 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level. Bolivia moved into fifth place with 12 points after its first win in 21 years against the Colombians. Miguel Terceros, also known as Miguelito, scored the winning goal for Bolivia in the 58th minute with a powerful shot after dribbling through two defenders. Bolivia had lost Héctor Cuellar to a straight red card in the 21st minute after a gruesome tackle that forced the substitution of striker Roger Martinez, but the team remained competitive until the end of the match in its high-altitude stadium. “We are a young team that wants to change history," Terceros said. “Now we will travel to Argentina thinking about winning.” Bolivia hasn't qualified for a World Cup edition since the 1994 edition in the United States. Colombia's next rivall will be Chile, who will face Brazil later on Thursday. Also on Thursday, Ecuador and Paraguay drew 0-0. Read more: Argentina minus Messi beats Chile to lead South American World Cup qualifying The Ecuadorians are in fourth place with 12 points and ahead of Bolivia on goal difference. Paraguay remains out of an automatic qualifying spot with 10 points. The top six teams in the round-robin competition will secure automatic berths at the 2026 World Cup.

Lionel Messi scored twice in Argentina's 2-0 win at Peru in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, playing the entire match for his national team. The 36-year-old appeared fit after he was sidelined for several matches with his club Inter Miami because of muscular pain Also Tuesday, Brazil — the archrival of the defending World Cup champion — took two serious blows at Uruguay. Brazil lost 2-0 to the hosts, its first defeat in 37 World Cup qualifying matches, and saw its star Neymar leave the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo on crutches with a left knee injury. Elsewhere, Venezuela beat Chile 3-0. Yeferson Soteldo opened the scoring shortly before the break, Salomón Rondón added a goal in the 72nd minute, and Darwin Machis scored seven minutes later. Last week, Venezuela earlier had a 1-1 draw against Brazil. Ecuador and Colombia had a scoreless draw, and Paraguay beat Bolivia 1-0 on Antonio Sanabria's goal in the 69th minute. Read: ICC World Cup 2023: Australia beat Sri Lanka in first win Argentina leads South American qualifying with 12 points in four matches. Uruguay, Brazil and Venezuela have seven points and are separated by goal difference. Colombia has six points, and Ecuador, Paraguay and Chile have four each. Peru has one point and Bolivia has zero. The next World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will include 48 teams, meaning direct entry for the top six teams in South America. The seventh-place team will contest an intercontinental playoff for a berth. Two more rounds of South American World Cup qualifying will be played in November. Brazil and Argentina will face off at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 21. ARGENTINA 2, PERU 0 Messi increased his total to 106 goals in 178 international appearances, moving within two of Iran's Ali Daei for second on the career list behind Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo at 127. The defending World Cup champion never faced risks at Lima's National Stadium against a Peruvian team that has yet to score in four qualifying matches. Argentina's confident performance could be traced to Messi finally playing as a starter and appearing fully healthy. The 36-year-old made it 1-0 after a counterattack in the 32nd minute. Enzo Fernández passed to Nico González on the left. A low cross found Messi at the edge of the box, and he shot it to the left angle of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. Read: Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho arrives in Dhaka Wednesday Messi scored again 10 minutes later after Enzo Fernández found him nearly at the same spot. Messi shot it on Gallese's right corner. He later had a goal disallowed for a low margin offside caught by video review in the 57th minute. “Yes, we have a good group and a good environment in our dressing room and things are much easier. We enjoy being together and playing together," Messi said. “After we won the World Cup we got confidence, we are more united and firm. I hope we can keep growing.” Peruvian and Argentinian fans tried to invade the field after the match to hug Messi, who led the World Cup champions to their eighth straight victory since they won last year’s title in Qatar. Last Thursday, Messi played for almost an entire half of Argentina's 1-0 victory over Paraguay. URUGUAY 2, BRAZIL 0 After a slow start to the match in Montevideo, Maximiliano Araujo easily beat Marquinhos on the left flank and crossed the ball to Darwin Núnez, who headed it into the net. Read: FIFA World Cup: Bangladesh to play Maldives in a do or die match on Tuesday The second half started with Brazil still doubtful and Uruguay ready to counterattack. One of those transitions was enough for a close-range finish by Nicolás de la Cruz in the 77th minute. “In the short run we need to be realistic, we need to improve,” Brazil captain Casemiro said. “For Neymar to leave the match it is surely something serious. But I hope it isn’t at the end. He has had those injuries whenever he starts picking up his pace again, it is hard.” With and without Neymar, Brazil had its worst performance under new coach Fernando Diniz, who will remain in the job at least until next year's Copa America. Uruguay, now coached by Argentinian Marcelo Bielsa, had its first win against Brazil in 22 years. “We had to play against a tough and direct rival,” Núñez said. “Today we made history.”

Iran and Saudi Arabia are among six nations invited Thursday (August 24, 2023) to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies. United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia are also set to join the bloc from 2024. The announcement was made at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country is the current BRICS chair. Also read: China to support Bangladesh in joining BRICS: XI tells Hasina during talks BRICS is currently made up of the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Those five members agreed at this week's summit to expand the bloc. It's the second time that BRICS has decided to expand. The bloc was formed in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa was added in 2010. The BRICS bloc represents around 40% of the world's population and contributes more than a quarter of global GDP. Three of the group's other leaders are attending the summit and were present alongside Ramaphosa for the announcement, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Also read: BRICS: China, Russia and other emerging economies turn to main summit agenda in South Africa Russian President Vladimir Putin did not travel to the summit after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March for the abduction of children from Ukraine. He has participated in the summit virtually, while Russia was represented at the announcement in Johannesburg by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Goalkeeper of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 winning Argentine team, Emiliano Martinez, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter's office today (July 03, 2023).  During the meeting, the PM appreciated the Argentine footballer for his stellar performance that contributed to Argentina lifting the Football World Cup 2022 trophy.  Martinez presented a signed Argentine jersey to the PM during their meeting. "You are the man who brought glory for Argentina. I wish you all the success," she was quoted as saying. Messi mania grips Argentina in 1st match as World Cup champs PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. Sheikh Hasina said football is the most popular sport in the world and Bangladeshis are passionate about it. She mentioned that her family is also a sports-loving one. "My father and grandfather were footballers," she said. The premier said her government has been constructing upazila-level mini-stadiums across Bangladesh to promote football and other sports. Read more: Indonesia to Host Argentina In a Friendly Football Match on June 2023 Emiliano Martinez, the Golden Gloves winner of FIFA World Cup 2022, was overwhelmed after learning of Bangladesh's huge fanbase. "I'm very happy to be here and happy to know about the passion for football among Bangladeshis," he said. Indian organizer and sports promoter Satadru Dutta and personal manager of Martinez, Santiago Liotta, are among the visiting delegation members. LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam, PM's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Swapan Bhattacharjee, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam, PM's Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Sheikh Helal Uddin MP and Sheikh Tonmoy MP were present at the meeting between PM Hasina and star Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Read more: Messi mania grips Argentina in 1st match as World Cup champs

Recently, Indonesian football has been in the headlines for various negative reasons. Now it seems they got an opportunity to get out of those negative vibes. World champions Argentina will visit Indonesia to play friendly matches. Argentina will tour Asia in June and will play two friendly matches on this tour. It was already known that the world champions will face Australia in China next month. According to Reuters, Lionel Scaloni’s team will also travel to Indonesia. Argentina vs Indonesia Friendly Match Schedule Argentina will play a friendly match with Australia on June 15 in Beijing, China. After that, Lionel Messi’s team will catch the plane to Indonesia. The date of the friendly match between Argentina and Indonesia has not been finalized yet. However, the Argentina Football Association announced June 19 as a possible date. Can This Friendly Match Help to Improve Indonesia’s Soccer Setbacks? Currently, Argentina is hosting the FIFA U20 World Cup, which was supposed to take place in Indonesia. Argentina was chosen as the new host after mass protests in Indonesia. This World Cup will end on June 11, which started on May 20. Read more: BAN vs AFG Series 2023: Fixtures, Schedules, Teams, Head-to-Head Records The main issue in Indonesia was about hosting Israel. Israel is one of the participants in the U20 World Cup. During the draw of the tournament, it was seen that several Indonesian states were not willing to host Israel’s matches. As soon as this problem came to the front, the international organization of football, FIFA, canceled Indonesia from the status of the World Cup host. Apart from this issue, there were 135 deaths from unintentional causes of domestic football in Indonesia. This loss of life occurred in the riots and stampede after the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya Club in Liga One. The mishap occurred in October 2022, in the Malang region of the country’s East Java. Eight months after the accident that shook the football world, Argentina is going to play a friendly match in the country. So, this match is expected to improve Indonesia’s condition regarding football. Football is a very popular sport in Indonesia. But the country has not been able to make an impression on the global football arena. They participated in the 1938 World Cup while under Dutch rule, and that was their last foot on the world stage. More recently, however, Indonesian football fans have had a great occasion to celebrate. Last week, they won gold at the Southeast Asian Games for the first time since 1991. Read more: Asia Cup Cricket 2023: Analysis of Group A The arrival of Argentina is generating immense excitement throughout the country, and it is a source of great joy. Erick Thohir, the chief of the Indonesian Football Association, views this visit as a chance to bring about a positive change. Argentina and Indonesia last met at the World Youth Championship. In 1979, the legendary Diego Maradona played for Argentina in Japan. Indonesia lost that match 5-0. Final Words It is not sure yet if Messi will participate in the friendly match between Argentina in Indonesia in June 2023. But it is believed that Argentina will visit with its full strength. Indonesia is ranked 149 in the FIFA rankings. Time will tell if Argentina will tour Asia with the World Cup-winning team. However, Asian Argentine fans have been waiting for the arrival of the world champions. Read more: Asia Cup Cricket 2023: Analysis of Group B.