United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on Saturday initially picked 33 footballers to form a national team for the next month's three qualification matches of FIFA World Cup 2022. Bangladesh are scheduled to play Afghanistan, India and Oman in their group matches on June 4, 7 and 15 respectively, all in Doha. All the 31 players, who earned call up in the national camp for the recently concluded Tri-nation Tournament in Nepal, except Tutul Hossain Badsha, again included in the day's preliminary squad. Besides, three footballers--Topu Barman, Tariq Kazi and Mohammad Ibrahim --returned in the team. Maximum 10 players were taken from champion  Bashundhara Kings. The camp of the national team will start soon after the arrival of team's Head Coach Jamie Day from England next Monday. Selected footballers are: Anisur Rahman Zico, Bishwanath Ghose, Rimon Hossain, Topu Barman, Masuk Miya Jony, Biplu Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman Sufil, Matin Miah, Mohammad Ibrahim, Tariq Kazi (Bashundhara Kings), Shahidul Alam Sohel, Sohel Rana, Saaduddin (Dhaka Abahani), Rahmat Miya, Riadul Hasan,Yeasin Arafat, Jamal Bhuiyan,  Abu Shahed, Imran Hasan Rimon, Faisal Ahmed Fahim  (Saif SC), Mehedi Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Royal, Mohammad Emon (Muktijoddha SKC), Ashraful Islam Rana, Mohammad Abdullah (Sheikh Russel),  Manik Hosssin Mollah, Rakib Hossain (Ctg Abahani), Habibur Rahman Shohag, Atiquzzaman (Mohammedan), Rezaul Karim (Sheikh Jamal), Mitul Marma, Sumon Reza ( Uttar Baridhara) and Mohammad Jewel (Police FC).

Dhaka Mohammedan advanced to the fourth spot in the points table of 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football after beating former champions Sheikh Russel 1-0 Saturday. Burkina Faso defender Mounzir Coulidiati scored the match-winning goal for Mohammedan at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the 37th minute of the match with a brilliant header off a corner of Habibur Rahman Shohag (1-0). Also read: BPL Football: Mohammedan move to 5th spot beating Saif 2-1 This was the third straight victory for Mohammedan in the second phase of the league, followed by their victory against Arambagh and Saif. Mohammedan, which advanced to fifth place beating Saif in the last match, today moved one step ahead, pushing Sheikh Russel to fifth place. Also read: BPL Football: Bashundhara Kings beat Police FC Meanwhile, Bashundhara Kings (43 points), Dhaka Abahani (32) and Sheikh Jamal (32) have occupied the top three spots in the league points table.

After a lot of excitement in the group stage and knockout rounds, the two teams that will compete in the Champions League final this year were finally confirmed in the first week of May. Manchester City advanced to the final after a 4-1 aggregate victory over Paris Saint-Germain. On the other hand, Chelsea reached the Champions League final for the third time after defeating Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate in the semifinal. Fans all over the world are looking forward to a thrilling final between these two English giants. In this episode, we discuss who will win the Champions League 2021?  Manchester City vs Chelsea: Who is the favorite? When comparing the two teams' performances this season, it's clear that Manchester City are a step ahead of Chelsea in every area. Therefore, Man City are the overwhelming favorite to win the championship. Albeit, Chelsea have improved since Thomas Tuchel took over as manager in January. Apart from consolidating their position in the Premier League, Tuchel proved his worth as a coach by beating Manchester City in the semi-finals to secure the FA Cup final and taking Chelsea to the Champions League final. The strengths of the two teams are analyzed below in quest of the Champions League 2021 trophy.  Read: How European football is badly affected by the pandemic covid-19? Manchester City UEFA Champions League season 2021 Record:W: 11, D: 1, L: 0 |Top scorer: Riyad Mahrez and Ferran Torres (4)| Top Assists: Kevin De Bruyne (4) Key Players: Kevin De Bruyne, Rúben Dias, Fernandinho Manager:Pep Guardiola Why Man City can win the title?  Manchester City has been the clear favorite to win the Champions League 2021 this season, thanks to Pep Guardiola's brilliant tactics, squad depth, and the desire to win the club's first-ever Champions League trophy. The master of Tiki-Taka football, Pep Guardiola led FC Barcelona to win two Champions League titles between 2008 and 2012. After leaving Barcelona, Guardiola coached Bayern Munich for three seasons and his fifth season is underway at Manchester City but he hasn't won a Champions League in the last 10 years. So, many believe Pep can't win Europe's most prestigious club trophy without the best player in the world, Lionel Messi. Read: Football Transfers 2021: The hot favorites to replace Sergio Aguero at Man City This time Pep Guardiola, who played record eight Champions League semi-finals as a manager, has got a chance to dispel that slander. Manchester City have had to play without strikers since the beginning of the season. Ilkay Gündoğan, Bernardo Silva, and versatile midfielder Kevin De Bruyne all have played as false nine this season. Furthermore, Pep's disciples have mastered a great strategy of scoring goals by repeatedly pressing the opponent's half with a clockwise pass or zigzag pass. Manchester City have been in excellent form since December. Except for a few games, Citizens have won every match this year. To put it another way, they're on an incredible winning streak. As a result, the players' confidence will remain high ahead of the Champions League final. To beat such a team, the opponent must do something extraordinary. Otherwise, Man City will win the Champions League for the first time in their history. Read: Pro Kabaddi Tournament Could Rejuvenate Bangladesh’s National Sport Manchester City probable starting lineup: Ederson; Kyle Walker, Rúben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mundey; Fernandinho, İlkay Gündoğan, Kevin De Bruyne; Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Agüero.  Chelsea UEFA Champions League season 2021 Record:W: 8, D: 3, L: 1|Top scorer:Olivier Giroud (6) | Top Assists: Kai Havertz (3) Key Players: N'Golo Kanté, César Azpilicueta, Kai Havertz Manager:Thomas Tuchel Why Chelsea can win the title?  Roman Abramovich replaced Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager with Thomas Tuchel in the last week of January this year. Tuchel is expected to finish in the top four in the Premier League this season. But he surprised everyone by guiding Chelsea to the FA Cup and Champions League finals. Tuchel has previously shown his credibility as a manager. PSG reached the Champions League final for the first time last season under his guidance. However, Paris Saint-Germain were disappointed to lose the Champions League final match to Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel's appointment as Chelsea manager restored the team's confidence. He began his journey by focusing on not losing matches, and as a result, he has developed a strong Chelsea defense. As their focus has turned to win more games, players like Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, and N'Golo Kante have become more aggressive on the attack. After eliminating Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final and Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final, Chelsea have gained even more confidence. Thomas Tuchel's team quickly figured out how to destroy a formidable opponent. It will not be impossible for Chelsea to be the best team in Europe for the second time if they can play according to their own strategy in the Champions League final. Read: Potential Young Players Who Could Rule World Football Next Decade Chelsea probable starting lineup: Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Ben Chilwell, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz  UEFA Champion League 2021 final match fixture: 30 May 2021 (1 AM, BST)   -   Manchester City v Chelsea   -   Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul Verdict There are a few things to consider when predicting who will win the Champions League 2021? The teams' squad depth, the overall performance in the current season, whether every member of the team is fit for the finals, the players' performance on a given day, and sometimes luck plays a big factor to win the final. Those who can play the best football have a great chance of winning the final. Overall, a tough battle is anticipated between Manchester City and Chelsea. Read: Summer Window 2021: Five Potential Big Football Transfers

A brilliant hat-trick by Haitian forward Kervens Belfort inspired Dhaka Abahani to a 6-0 win against Rahmatganj in the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football Friday. Abahani, which split points with Police FC in a 2-2 draw in the second phase opener and outplayed Brothers Union 5-2 in the next match, moved to the second spot in the points table with the result. In the day's one-sided affair at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, six-time champions Abahani took lead in the 27th minute when Rahmatganj's Tajik defender Khurshed Beknazaov sent the ball to his net while trying to turn down a shot at the goal. Also read: BPL Football: Mohammedan SC make good start beating Arambagh KS 2-1 Abahani's Haitian forward Kervens Belfort scored the first hat-trick in the second phase of the game, netting three goals in the 37th, 43rd and 62nd minutes. Local defender Mamun Miya and Afghan defender Masih Saighani scored two more goals for Abahani in the 65th and 85th minutes. Dhaka Abahani and Sheikh Jamal have so far secured 32 points each from 15 and 14 matches, but Abahani have advanced to the second slot with a better goal difference, pushing Sheikh Jamal to the third spot. Also read: BPL Football: Bashundhara crush Baridhara 6-0 Rahmatganj now remains in the eighth slot with 14 points from 15 matches. Star-studded Bashundhara Kings have already dominated the league table comfortably with an unbeaten record, securing 40 points from 14 matches.

So much for Arsenal being one of the elite soccer clubs in Europe. Three weeks after being among the instigators of the controversially closed-off and ultimately ill-fated Super League, the English team is facing the ignominy of being shut out of continental competition for the first time in 25 years. A failure to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Villarreal in the Europa League semifinals on Thursday would end Arsenal’s quarter-century run of participating in either the Champions League or UEFA’s secondary club competitions. Such a degrading of status would be ironic, considering the planned Super League — devised and then aborted within a chaotic 48-hour period last month — would have positioned Arsenal as one of 12 elite teams in the European game. The significance of the match against Villarreal, likely to be played against the backdrop of more fan protests against Arsenal’s American ownership for its involvement in the Super League project, isn’t lost on Mikel Arteta. “It is a big moment,” the Arsenal manager said. “Not for me but for the club, for everything that has happened in the last two years, in the last months, and for all the instability that we have been hit with for many different reasons. “I think it will be really important, and a big step forward, if we are able to be in that final and have the opportunity to win that trophy.” It’s not just Arteta’s future that could be on the line on Thursday. Arsenal’s ability to attract players for next season, and to retain the services of its own best players, might hinge on winning the Europa League and gaining the bonus prize of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Otherwise, it’s out of Europe, a situation Arsenal hasn’t been in since the 1995-96 season — a year that fell between the storied managerial eras of George Graham and Arsene Wenger. For Arteta, that would be unacceptable. “But it’s the reality,” he said. “It’s not what we want, obviously, but there are a lot of things that have happened in that period for many reasons. “One is the level has been raised to a standard that is unprecedented in the (Premier League) and we are not the only club that has been out of that. But obviously no one accepts that situation and we want to change it straightaway. This season, we have the opportunity to do that.” Arteta delivered the FA Cup to Arsenal in August, at the end of his first season at the club, but his position would be uncertain should his team be eliminated by Villarreal, which — adding to the weight of the occasion — is coached by Unai Emery. Emery is a Spaniard who replaced Wenger at Arsenal in May 2018, following the Frenchman’s nearly 22 years in the job. He lasted only 18 months. Arteta said the success of this season will now be determined by winning the Europa League or not. “It will be judged like this,” he said. “How good or bad job you are doing is judged by many factors by different people. Externally, it’s only when you win or lose. That is the defining moment.” Arteta’s big players need to step up against Villarreal and there’s no one bigger in the team than captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who declared upon signing a three-year deal in September that he wanted to become an “Arsenal legend.” That hasn’t materialized, because of a mixture of off-field issues — he recently contracted malaria, and also took time off in February when his mother became seriously ill — and poor form, which he partially put down to struggling to get fired up for matches because of the lack of fans in stadiums. Aubameyang, whose season tally of 15 goals in all competitions is way down on what he typically delivers, said Wednesday he owes Arteta a big performance. “I have to give something back to the club and the fans who are awaiting something from me,” the striker said on a video call. “This is the right moment to show I am capable of doing it.”

Two dramatic goals in five minutes enabled league leader Bashundhara Kings to maintain their unbeaten record in the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) beating Bangladesh Police FC by 2-0 goals at the floodlit Bangabandhu National Stadium here on Tuesday. Earlier, title aspirants Bashundhara Kings made a flying start in the 2nd phase opener outplaying Uttar Baridhara Club by 6-0 goals. After a long time, two local booters -- Towhidul Alam Sabuz and Topu Barman--  guided the Kings towards victory despite the presence of Brazilian and Argentine star players,scoring  two dramatic goals in a span of only four minutes. After a barren first half, national forward Towhidul Alam Sabuz put the Kings ahead in the 58th minute by a good header, utilizing a cross of Brazilian player Robson Robinho (1-0). National coloured defender Topu Barman sealed the fate of the match scoring the 2nd goal in the 62nd minute, also by a header, utilizing a corner of another Brazilian booter Fernandes (2-0). Earlier in the 16th minute, Police custodian Himel deprived the Kings from goal foiling a penalty, taken by Robinho. With the day's 13th win, the Kings poised for their 2nd league title as they comfortably dominated the league with unbeaten record securing 40 points from 14 matches, eleven points ahead of their nearest rivals..Bangladesh Police, which forced Dhaka Abahani to play 2-2 in the previous match, remained at 9th slot with 13 points fron 14 matches.

Six-time champion Dhaka Abahani Ltd returned to winning run in the second phase of the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football outplaying lowly Brothers Union Club by 5-2 goals at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Tuesday. Sky-blue popular Dhanmondi outfit Abahani, which miserably split points with Bangladesh Police FC in 2-2 affairs in their second phase opener, clearly dominated the first half by 3-0 goals against their Gopibagh outfit. Despite the day's comfortably victory, Abahani remained at the 3rd slot in the league table with 29 points from 14 matches while Brothers Union are struggling to avoid relegation with their previous credit of five points. also from 14 encounters. Also read: BPL Football: Mohammedan SC make good start beating Arambagh KS 2-1 Star-studded Bashundhara Kings already poised for their second league title as they comfortably dominated the league with an unbeaten record securing 37 points from 13 matches while three times champion Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club followed the leader distantly with 29 points from 13 matches. In the day's match, Nigerian recruit Sunday Chizoba (22nd minute), defender Nasir Chowdhury (40th minute),  medio Jewel Rana (44th minute), Haitian forward Kervens Belfort (62nd minute) and Rubel Miya (79th minute) scored one goal each for Abahani. Also read: BPL Football: Bashundhara crush Baridhara 6-0 Nigerian booter Magalan Ugochukwu Awala netted both the goals (77th and 90+4 minutes) for Brothers Union. League leader Bashundhara Kings are scheduled to face Bangladesh Police FC at 7pm while Sheikh Russel KC will encounter Rahmatganj MFS at 9pm in the day's (Tuesday's) two other fixture at the same venue.

The storming of Old Trafford crystalized 16 years of disconnect between Manchester United fans and its distant ownership. While choosing not to engage with the supporters who are the lifeblood of any club, the Glazer family can’t have avoided seeing the levels of rage against them on Sunday. Not when it led to the unprecedented postponement of a Premier League game due to fan unrest, especially one of the biggest matches of the season between United and Liverpool. Three months after celebrating success in the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was the Glazers’ ill-fated bid to lead United into a European Super League that made their relationship with fans in England more toxic than ever before. That led to co-owner Joel Glazer insisting he was “committed to rebuilding trust with our fans,” but there was no sign of that happening in the 10 days between the open letter and Sunday’s protests.   THE PROTESTS A rabble of more than 100 fans were able to stand on the field setting off flares after breaching the coronavirus-necessitated biosecure perimeter of the stadium. Outside, thousands more supporters spent two hours crammed onto the concourse demanding the Glazers sell the club. Even though officers eventually managed to disperse the crowd just before the scheduled kickoff — with a combination of force using batons and a charge of police horses — the Premier League abandoned any hope of playing the game. ORIGINS OF ANGER The takeover of United in 2005 began with protests outside Old Trafford that featured burning effigies of the incoming ownership. Fans were angered that a club without debt was loaded with liabilities that reached a high of 717 million pounds (then $1.1 billion) during the 2008-09 season. It’s a debt that has had to be serviced and cost United, along with dividends to the Glazer family, more than 1 billion pounds in 16 years. It stood at 456 million pounds in December. But protests against the Glazers that previously peaked with a visible display of dissent during a 2010 Champions League game faded amid the team’s success. The club won the Premier League five times between 2007 and 2013 to become the record 20-time champions of England, usurping Liverpool. But since the retirement of Alex Ferguson in 2013 after more than 26 years in charge, the Premier League trophy has proved elusive. “Your family’s ownership of the club has driven us into debt and decline,” the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust wrote on Monday to Joel Glazer, “and we have felt ever more sidelined and ignored.” It is only two weeks since Glazer tried to lead United into the breakaway European competition as vice chairman of the Super League. Fans were not consulted before the group of European clubs launched the closed European competition to replace UEFA’s open access Champions League. The rebellion imploded inside 48 hours amid an outcry from government and fans. Despite the lack of silverware, even as Manchester City emerged as England’s dominant force fueled by Abu Dhabi investment, the protests at United have largely been dormant, simmering only in the background. While the Glazers wouldn’t speak to MUST, the group toned down its public comments against them and seemed to focus instead on engagement with the administration in Manchester about the matchday experience to secure improvements. FAN DEMANDS The tone has shifted again with the letter to Joel Glazer requesting by Friday a response to a four-point list of demands to: — Back a government review and “rebalance the current ownership structure in the favor of supporters”; — Appoint independent directors; — Adopt a share scheme giving fans the same voting rights as the Glazer family with the New York Stock Exchange-listed business; — Fully consult fans on any significant changes to the club. COMMERCIAL SUCCESS To end the current four-year trophy drought, United says there has been more than $200 million invested in players over the past two years — more than any other major European club. That has been funded by the growth of the commercial side of the business, with revenue almost quadrupling since the takeover to 627 million pounds before the pandemic. United has a self-sustaining business model with profit for the owners the priority, which enables them to draw dividends. OTHER FOREIGN OWNERS Across Manchester at City, it’s been about an owner pumping money in since 2008. Funded by the wealth of Abu Dhabi, City is a means of a soft power being exerted by the United Arab Emirates, which has been criticized for its human rights and limited political freedoms, as much as it is about transforming men’s and women’s teams and the surrounding areas. While City fans did oppose the Super League there have been no protests demanding the sale of the club or the exit of club officials. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has also invested more than a billion pounds in the west London club since 2003 to turn it into a European power. The aborted Super League plan produced protests in the streets around Stamford Bridge centered on trying to unseat chairman Bruce Buck. Protests more akin to the vociferous ones at Old Trafford came at Arsenal in the week of the Super League announcement, with fans of the north London club also demanding the exit of their NFL franchise-owning chairman Stan Kroenke. Unlike the Glazers, Arsenal’s ownership has engaged with fans through Stan Kroenke’s son Josh, who subjected himself to a video call to take a battering of questions over the Super League debacle. The Super League reignited concerns in Liverpool about John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group ownership and its lack of investment demanded by fans since the club ended its 30-year English title drought. Protests in the streets in 2010 helped to oust the previous American owners — Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. — as the club become burdened with debt it could not repay.

Manchester United supporters stormed into the stadium and onto the pitch, delaying Sunday’s game against Liverpool as thousands of fans gathered outside Old Trafford to demand the Glazer family ownership sells the club. Long-running anger against the American owners has boiled over after they were part of the failed attempt to take United into a European Super League as well as the club’s debt. “Get out of our club,” fans chanted as flares were set off. “We want Glazers out.” The family, who also own the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have declined to engage with fans since buying United in 2005 in a leveraged takeover that loaded debt onto the club Fans are currently unable to attend games due to the pandemic but they found a way into the stadium. They also climbed onto vantage points next to turnstile entrances Supporters wore green-and-gold scarves and also set off flares in the colors of the club’s 1878 formation. More than 100 fans got inside the stadium and some could be seen from windows waving down to protesters. If United loses Sunday’s game, Manchester City has won the Premier League title. United is the record 20-time English champion but hasn’t lifted the trophy since 2013. Kickoff time was originally scheduled for 4:30 p.m. local time (1530 GMT).

Traditional giants Dhaka Mohammedan SC made a good start in the 2nd phase of the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football beating their neighbour Arambagh KS by 2-1 goals at the Bangabandhu National Stadium here on Saturday. Mali forward  Souleymane Diabate scored both the goals for the black & white team, first in the very 9th minute and other in the stoppage time (90+2) minute of the match. Lowly Arambagh KS reduced the margin by a gifted goal when Mohammedan defender Habibiur Rahman Shohag sent the ball his own net while trying foil an opponent attempt in the 46th minute. After the match, Mohammedan SC remained at 6th slot in the 13- team league securing 22 points from 13 matches while Arambagh KS remained at the bottom with only one point from 13 encounters.