United News of Bangladesh

Harry Kane reached a major milestone on Friday, scoring his 99th and 100th goals for Bayern Munich in just his 104th appearance, as the German champions cruised to a 4-0 victory over Werder Bremen. Kane reached the 100-goal mark in all competitions faster than both Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland, who each needed 105 games to achieve the feat with Real Madrid and Manchester City, respectively. “It’s crazy, even for me,” Kane told Sky Sports. “It’s an honor to reach 100 goals for this great club. Huge thanks to the staff, players, and everyone who’s helped me. To do it this fast is something I’m really proud of — but now, it’s on to the next one.” Bayern opened the scoring through a backheel goal by Jonathan Tah, before Kane converted a penalty in the 45th minute after being fouled by Marco Friedl. He added his second — and 100th for the club — in the 65th minute after receiving a pass from Luis Díaz, giving Bayern a 3-0 lead. Kane celebrated the achievement with a wide grin. Kane has had an explosive start to the 2025–26 season, scoring 15 goals in eight matches for Bayern, plus one for England against Serbia. His bid for a third hat trick this season was cut short when he was subbed off in the 78th minute for Nicolas Jackson. Konrad Laimer added a fourth goal in the 87th. The England striker is contracted with Bayern until the end of next season. Manager Vincent Kompany dismissed speculation about Kane potentially returning to the Premier League, saying, “That isn’t a topic for us. What he’s showing now reflects how he feels — and today was another special moment.” With the win, Bayern extended their perfect start to the Bundesliga season with five consecutive victories and increased their lead at the top of the table. The team next travels to Cyprus to face Pafos in the Champions League on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Werder Bremen sits 14th and risks dropping into the relegation zone, depending on weekend results. Bayern wore a grey-and-green kit to mark Munich’s Oktoberfest, but the change sparked protests from fans inside the stadium, with banners demanding a return to the club’s traditional red and white colors.

West Ham dismissed manager Graham Potter on Saturday, just five matches into the new Premier League season, and only two days before their upcoming game against Everton. Nuno Espirito Santo, who departed Nottingham Forest on September 9, has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Potter, according to British media outlets such as Sky Sports and the BBC. Potter was let go after West Ham dropped to second-to-last in the league table, having lost four of their opening five matches. The team has also been eliminated from the English League Cup. Appointed in January, Potter guided West Ham to a 14th-place finish last season. In a statement, West Ham said that recent results and performances had fallen short of expectations, both in the latter half of last season and the early stages of the current campaign. The club’s board believes a managerial change is needed to improve their position in the Premier League. The search for a new head coach is already in progress. Potter’s coaching staff have also departed the club. Potter’s time at West Ham was marked by instability. He joined after Julen Lopetegui, who had replaced long-time manager David Moyes, lasted only 22 matches. Before taking the West Ham job, Potter had been out of management for nearly two years after a short and disappointing spell at Chelsea. He had previously earned acclaim for his work at Ostersund, Swansea, and Brighton. West Ham ended last season with only two wins in their final 11 league games and lost key forward Mohammed Kudus during the summer. Despite an active end to the transfer window, fan frustration persisted as the team suffered heavy defeats to Sunderland (3-0) and Chelsea (5-1) in August. A brief improvement came with a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, but losses to Tottenham and Crystal Palace sealed Potter’s fate. Nuno could return to management quickly after a successful campaign with Nottingham Forest last season, in which he secured a seventh-place finish and a spot in European competition. However, he was dismissed after just three matches this season due to a breakdown in relations with club leadership, including a clash with owner Evangelos Marinakis and recently appointed global head of football Edu Gaspar. Nuno has previously managed Wolverhampton and Tottenham in the Premier League.

Barcelona will be without winger Raphinha and new goalkeeper Joan García for the next few weeks after both suffered injuries, the club confirmed Friday. García, who has started every match since joining from Espanyol this summer, injured the meniscus in his left knee and will require arthroscopic surgery. The defending La Liga champions expect him to be sidelined for four to six weeks. Spanish media reported that García sustained the injury during Friday training. Raphinha, who played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s league and Copa del Rey victories last season, is expected to be out for around three weeks with a right hamstring injury. The Brazilian forward appeared to pick up the injury during Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Oviedo on Thursday. Barcelona faces Real Sociedad in La Liga on Sunday, followed by a Champions League clash against European champions Paris Saint-Germain three days later. The team will then play its first El Clásico of the season against Real Madrid on October 26. The club could get a boost if young forward Lamine Yamal, who recently missed four games with a groin injury, is cleared to play. Meanwhile, midfielder Gavi Paéz remains sidelined after undergoing surgery for a right knee meniscus injury earlier this week. With García out, Wojciech Szczesny is expected to step in as goalkeeper, while Marcus Rashford or Ferran Torres may cover for Raphinha on the wing.

Barcelona overturned an early setback caused by goalkeeper Joan García’s blunder to secure a 3-1 win at promoted Oviedo in the Spanish league on Thursday. The Catalans fell behind in the 33rd minute when García, venturing outside the area, misplaced a clearance that fell to Alberto Reina, who struck from nearly 35 meters to score his first top-flight goal. Barcelona responded strongly after the break. Eric García equalized in the 56th minute, converting after Ferran Torres’ effort came off the post. Substitute Robert Lewandowski headed in the go-ahead goal from a Frenkie de Jong cross in the 70th, and Ronald Araujo sealed victory with another header late in the 88th. FIFA reportedly weighing plan for 64-nation World Cup in 2030 The win marked Barcelona’s fifth in six matches, keeping them two points behind leaders Real Madrid, who maintained a perfect record with a 4-1 victory over Levante. Coach Hansi Flick downplayed the goalkeeping error, saying, “He made one mistake, but we came back and won, which is what matters.” Oviedo, back in La Liga after two decades, has now lost five of its six matches despite veteran Santi Cazorla’s leadership. Source: Agency 

A proposal to expand the FIFA World Cup to an unprecedented 64 teams for the 2030 centenary tournament is reportedly under consideration after top South American football executives met with FIFA on Tuesday. CONMEBOL pushes for maximum scale While next summer’s 2026 World Cup will already be the largest ever with 48 teams, the South American confederation, CONMEBOL, is pushing for an even grander scale in 2030. The confederation is determined to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the tournament—which was first held in Uruguay in 1930—by hosting as many matches as possible on the continent. The 2030 World Cup is currently scheduled to be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with three ceremonial opening matches slated for Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. CONMEBOL’s proposal seeks to significantly increase the number of participating nations and, consequently, the number of games played. To advance their vision, FIFA leaders met on Tuesday in New York with the heads of state from Uruguay and Paraguay, along with the leadership of CONMEBOL and the head of Argentina’s football association. “We want to call for unity, creativity, and believing big,” said CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez in a social media post following the meeting. “Because when football is shared by everyone, the celebration is truly global.” Dominguez emphasized the significance of the event, stating, “As we get closer to the date, we must reiterate that this cannot be just another event, it cannot be just another World Cup. We believe this is a once-in-a-century opportunity.” Impact of expanded tournament FIFA is obligated to consider all proposals and ideas presented by its member associations. However, a 64-team tournament is not currently a stated policy priority for the current FIFA administration, and no decision has been made regarding the expansion of the 2030 event. Should the 64-team plan be adopted, nearly a third of FIFA’s 211 member associations would qualify for the finals. This level of expansion would likely render the qualifying process little more than a formality for many of the world’s strongest sides. The concept of a 64-team World Cup was first formally raised at a FIFA Council meeting in March by Uruguay FA President Ignacio Alonso. In May, his confederation president, Dominguez, reinforced the sentiment by stating that “no one should be left out” of the 2030 World Cup. Historically, the World Cup final tournament expanded to 24 teams in 1982 (Spain) and subsequently to 32 teams in 1998 (France).

European football’s governing body, UEFA, is reportedly moving towards a vote on the potential suspension of its member federation, Israel, due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Sources familiar with the proposal informed The Associated Press (AP) on Thursday that a majority of the 20-member UEFA Executive Committee is anticipated to support a vote in favor of suspending Israeli teams from international competitions. The two sources spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity, citing the extreme sensitivity of the subject matter. Implications and upcoming schedule This development comes just two weeks before the Israel men’s national team is scheduled to resume its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with crucial away matches against Norway and Italy. The calls to exclude Israel from international soccer and other sports have intensified in recent weeks, fueled by the rising global outcry over the humanitarian toll of its military campaign in Gaza. Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez publicly stated that Israel should face similar sanctions to those imposed on Russia, which was sidelined from international sports following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. UEFA and its President, Aleksander Ceferin, signaled a tougher stance last month when banners reading “Stop Killing Children. Stop Killing Civilians” were displayed on the field ahead of the Super Cup game between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham in Udine, Italy. FIFA’s position and Israeli efforts The extent to which the world soccer body, FIFA, will support the exclusion of Israel remains uncertain, given the notably close relationship between FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and US President Donald Trump. The Trump administration’s support—particularly in securing the World Cup and expediting visas for players, officials, and the hundreds of thousands of potential fans—is viewed as critical for FIFA to successfully host the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico next year. FIFA’s ruling council, which includes eight members from UEFA, is slated to meet in Zurich next week. Meanwhile, Israel is working “intensively behind the scenes” to block the efforts to oust its federation from UEFA. The office of Israel’s Sports and Culture Minister, Miki Zohar, confirmed the efforts on Thursday, stating that Zohar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the head of Israel’s soccer federation, Moshe Zuares, are all involved. “The right step now is to act responsibly with the professionals and not to make statements, and this is how all the parties involved in the efforts are acting. We will address this later,” Zohar’s office added.

Following the completion of the English Football League (EFL) Cup, popularly known as the Carabao Cup, third-round fixtures last night, the fourth-round draw has been finalized, setting the stage for several high-profile Premier League clashes. Defending champions Newcastle United will host Tottenham Hotspur in one of the standout ties, with several Premier League giants set for challenging encounters. Premier League heavyweights drawn together In what is arguably the tie of the round, holders Newcastle United will welcome Tottenham Hotspur to St. James’ Park. Newcastle, who ended a 70-year trophy drought by lifting the Carabao Cup earlier this year, advanced comfortably with a 4-1 victory over League One leaders Bradford. Elsewhere, an all-Premier League affair sees Arsenal drawn against Brighton. Meanwhile, record ten-time winners Liverpool will host fellow top-flight side Crystal Palace at Anfield. Liverpool progressed after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Southampton, a match notable for Hugo Ekikite’s late winner and subsequent sending-off for taking his shirt off during the celebration. In other significant matchups, Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) will host Chelsea, ensuring another Premier League giant will be eliminated. Only Manchester City has a comparatively easier task on paper, drawn away to Championship club Swansea. Giant-killers eyeing more upsets The competition’s current giant-killers, Grimsby Town, have another golden opportunity to cause an upset after being drawn at home to Premier League side Brentford. The only remaining League Two side has already impressively dispatched Manchester United at home and Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday away, and their reward is yet another Premier League opponent at home as they seek to continue their remarkable cup run. Championship newcomers Wrexham were drawn against Cardiff City, marking the first meeting between the two Welsh clubs since 2002. Additionally, League One side Wycombe Wanderers have the chance to create their own magic as they host Premier League club Fulham. The fourth-round ties are scheduled to be played during the week of October 27. Carabao Cup fourth-round draw: - Arsenal v Brighton- Grimsby Town v Brentford- Swansea v Manchester City- Newcastle v Tottenham- Wrexham v Cardiff- Liverpool v Crystal Palace- Wolves v Chelsea- Wycombe v Fulham

Bangladesh booked their place in the SAFF U-17 Championship final defeating Pakistan 2-0 in Thursday’s first semi-final at Colombo Racecourse Ground. The defending finalists struck twice in the space of a minute in the first half to seize control of the match. Nazmul Huda Faisal opened the scoring before Apu Rahman doubled the lead moments later. This sudden, overwhelming flurry of goals in the opening minutes effectively decided the contest, leaving Pakistan with a steep mountain to climb for the remainder of the game. Bangladesh, who advanced to the last four as group champions, began aggressively and capitalised on a costly blunder from Pakistan goalkeeper Samar Razzak in just the third minute. Razzak’s poor throw gifted possession to Apu whose misdirected pass ricocheted off a defender and fell to Faisal. With the keeper stranded, Faisal slotted into an empty net. The momentum carried forward immediately, as Apu made amends with a sharp strike that pierced through two defenders and slipped past the diving Razzak to make it 2-0. In the second half, Bangladesh focused on maintaining their lead, while Pakistan failed to stage a comeback. The win brings Bangladesh within touching distance of their first-ever title in this age category. They will face the winner of the second semi-final between India and Nepal in Saturday’s final.

Lionel Messi netted two goals and provided an assist, reaching 37 goal contributions this season, as Inter Miami sealed a playoff spot with a 4-0 triumph over New York City FC on Wednesday night. Inter Miami (16-6-7) claimed its third consecutive victory, extending its league-leading goal tally to 64 this season. Five of Miami’s last six MLS games have seen at least three goals, including a recent 3-2 win over D.C. United. Messi, after setting up the first goal in the opening half, became the first player in MLS history to register at least 35 goal contributions in back-to-back seasons. His two second-half goals also made him the fourth player in league history to record eight multi-goal games in a single campaign. He opened the scoring in the 74th minute by chipping the ball over goalkeeper Matt Freese, who had rushed out during a breakaway. Luis Suárez, returning from suspension, converted a penalty in the 83rd minute, and Messi added another goal three minutes later. FIFA World Cup 2026: Spain, England home kit designs leaked Goalkeeper Óscar Ustari earned his sixth clean sheet of the season. New York City FC (16-10-5) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end. The visitors had two notable chances in the first half, with Thiago Martins’ header from a corner saved by Ustari, and Nicolás Fernández’s close-range effort going just wide after deceiving the goalkeeper. Source: Agency 

Hugo Ekitike has apologized to Liverpool fans after being sent off for celebrating his winning goal against Southampton in the English League Cup on Tuesday. Liverpool coach Arne Slot described the France striker’s behavior as “needless” and “stupid.” Ekitike received a red card for removing his shirt while celebrating his 85th-minute goal in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory, which means he will miss the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday. “The emotion got the better of me tonight. My apologies to all the Red family,” Ekitike wrote on Instagram after the match. The 23-year-old forward had already been booked for dissent after coming on as a halftime substitute. “Needless? Yes. And it was stupid. The first one was already needless and, to some extent, stupid, as you have to control your emotions,” Slot said. “I told him that if you score in the Champions League final in the 87th minute after outplaying three players and hitting the top corner, I could maybe understand. But he said, ‘This is all about me, what did I do?’ “I’m old-fashioned, 47, and never played at this level, but I did score a few goals. If I scored a goal like this, I’d have turned to Federico Chiesa and said, ‘This goal is all about you, not me.’” Ekitike’s latest strike was his fifth in eight appearances for Liverpool since joining the Premier League champions from Eintracht Frankfurt for $93.5 million in July.