United News of Bangladesh

FIFA has launched a disciplinary investigation at the Club World Cup after Real Madrid’s Antonio Rüdiger accused Pachuca captain Gustavo Cabral of racially abusing him during their recent match. The incident took place in the closing minutes of Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Pachuca on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rüdiger, who is Black, reported the alleged abuse to Brazilian referee Ramon Abatti, prompting the official to initiate FIFA’s anti-discrimination protocol by making the approved signal — raising his arms in an ‘X’ above his head. Ronaldo's Saudi club Al Nassr now without coach as Pioli leaves On Tuesday night, FIFA confirmed that formal disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Cabral. “Following a review of the match reports, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has initiated proceedings against Pachuca player Gustavo Cabral regarding the incident involving Real Madrid’s Antonio Rüdiger,” FIFA stated. A decision is expected before Pachuca’s final Group H fixture against Al Hilal, scheduled for Thursday in Nashville. Regardless of the outcome, Pachuca will not progress beyond the group stage, as the Mexican side cannot finish higher than third place. Cabral, 39, has denied the accusation of racism, stating that he used language considered a common insult in Argentina.  

Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr is without a coach after Stefano Pioli left Wednesday, with the Italian expected to return home to Fiorentina. Al Nassr, owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, is left without a coach days before the 40-year-old Ronaldo's contract expires Monday, reports AP. The club said in a social media post “Pioli and his staff are no more the acting coaching staff of the first team.” Pioli previously coached Fiorentina for two seasons until 2019, then won a Serie A title in five years at AC Milan. The club let him go after the 2023-24 season and he joined Al Nassr months later when Luís Castro was fired. Al Nassr is seeking a first domestic league title since 2019 and has parted with three full-time coaches since Ronaldo joined the club 2.5 years ago. Neymar signs contract extension with Santos through 2025 The team will play in the Asian Champions League next season after placing third in the Saudi Pro League. This was secured by winning an end-of-season legal case to be awarded a victory against a team that was judged to have fielded an ineligible player. Ronaldo was a standout helping Portugal win the UEFA Nations League title this month.

Neymar has signed a new deal to stay with Brazilian club Santos until the end of December 2025. The 33-year-old forward rejoined his boyhood club in January but has struggled with injuries since his return. His initial contract was set to expire next week, but both Neymar and Santos announced the extension on Tuesday. “I extended my contract with Santos. I went, I came back and I stay where it all began and where it will never end,” Neymar said in a video posted on his social media. The parties did not clarify why the extension only runs until the end of 2025 rather than mid-2026, which some expected, considering Brazil’s preparations for the next World Cup. Earlier this month, new Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti indicated he hopes Neymar will recover in time to feature in the tournament, to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Since departing Saudi club Al-Hilal for Santos, Neymar has appeared in 12 matches, scoring three goals and providing three assists, though he missed several games due to muscle injuries. During his first stint at Santos, Neymar played 225 matches, netting 138 goals and helping the club secure six titles. Santos was relegated in 2023 but returned to Brazil’s top flight the following year. Dortmund edge past Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 in Club World Cup heat battle Neymar’s most recent match was on June 1, when he was sent off during a 1-0 home loss to Botafogo. Attempting to score, he used his hand to push the ball into the net after realizing he couldn’t reach it with his head. Already on a yellow card, Neymar received a second booking and was dismissed. The goal was disallowed, and Botafogo scored the winner in the 86th minute. Neymar's time at Al-Hilal ended by mutual agreement six months before his contract expired. He made only seven appearances for the Saudi club after suffering an ACL injury that sidelined him for nearly a year. Al-Hilal later said Neymar was no longer capable of performing at his previous level. The Brazilian star had also faced criticism after leaving both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, despite his contributions to titles and goals at both clubs. Santos currently sits 15th in the Brazilian league table with 11 points from 12 matches. Source: Agency 

Two time-SAFF Women’s champions Bangladesh team are due to leave here for Myanmar Wednesday early hours to play in the Group C matches of the AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers in a hope to play in the final round of Asia Cup  The Group C matches of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers will be held at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon from June 29 to July 5. Bangladesh has been placed in Group C of the Asian tournament along with hosts Myanmar, Bahrain and Turkmenistan. In Group C matches, Bangladesh will face Bahrain on June 29, Myanmar on July 2, and Turkmenistan on July 5, all at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon. The champion team of the four-team Group C will earn the rights to play in the Women’s Asia Cup to be held in Australia next year. Bangladesh team will fly for Myanmar to play AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers In a pre-tour press conference at BFF House on Tuesday, Bangladesh captain Afeida Khondakar said, “we are well prepared after playing two matches in Jordan, and do hope to play in the Asia Cup.”  However, Head Coach of Bangladesh team Peter Butler said, hosts Myanmar is very tough opponent, so it will be challenging task for Bangladesh, we wants to make the task easy after beating upper ranked Bahrain and lowly ranked Turkmenistan.  As a part of their preparations for the AFC Women's Asia Cup Qualifiers, Bangladesh women's team made very good practices in Tri-nation Football Tournament in Lebanon playing 2-2 draw with upper ranked and hosts Jordan and played goalless draw with Indonesia. Bangladesh made three changes in the previous line up that toured Jordan Goalkeepers Meghla Rani, Ferdoushi Akter and midfielder Shanti Mardi were dropped the from team while custodians Shorna Rani, Mily Akter and defender Nilufa Yesmin returned to the team.       Members of Myanmar bound Bangladesh women's team are: Rupna Chakma, Sheuly Azim, Shamsunnahar Sr, Shamsinnahar Jr, Monika Chakma, Ritu Porna Chakma, Maria Manda, Tohura Khatun, Afeida Khandakar (Captain), Sagorika, Shaheda Akhter Ripa, Nilufa Yesmin. Munki Akter, Swapna Rani, Khohati Kishku, Sourovi Akhand Preeti, Sultana, Shorna Rani, Mily Akter, Joynob Bibi Rita, Halima Akhter, Nabiran Khatun and Umhela Marma.

Palmeiras staged a late comeback to earn a 2-2 draw against Inter Miami in front of a lively crowd at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night, with both teams securing spots in the Club World Cup round of 16. The Brazilian side, known for its rich football history, found the equalizer in the 87th minute through Mauricio after trailing for most of the game. The draw was enough for both clubs to progress, as they entered the match level on four points at the top of Group A. Nuno Santo signs new three-year deal to stay at Nottingham Forest Inter Miami seemed on course to win the group after building a 2-0 advantage, thanks to goals from Tadeo Allende in the 16th minute and veteran striker Luis Suarez in the 65th. However, Palmeiras turned the game around following key second-half substitutions. Paulinho pulled one back in the 80th minute, setting the stage for Mauricio's late equalizer. Despite plenty of opportunities and the crowd frequently chanting his name, Lionel Messi, who celebrates his 39th birthday on Tuesday, was unable to find the back of the net.  

Bogura DSA beat Sirajganj DSA by 3-0 goals in a Rajshahi zone match of the UCB -BFF Under- 15 National Football League' 2025 in Rajshahi Sunday afternoon. After barren first half, Habib Hossain put Bogra team ahead in the 51st minute (1-0), Sakib Hossain doubled the margin in the 64th minute (2-0) while Mohammad Sami sealed the fate of the match scoring the 3rd goal in the 76th minute (3-0). Karimul Hassan of the Bogura DSA was adjudged the best player of the match.

Borussia Dortmund capitalised on an early defensive error and held off a late surge by Mamelodi Sundowns to secure a 4-3 win in a sweltering Club World Cup group stage clash at TQL Stadium on Saturday. Both players and the crowd of 14,006 endured intense heat, with on-field cooling breaks implemented as temperatures soared to nearly 90°F (32°C) under a heat advisory. The Sundowns struck first with a swift counterattack that Lucas Ribeiro Costa finished in the 11th minute. But Dortmund responded five minutes later when goalkeeper Ronwen Williams mistakenly passed the ball to Felix Nmecha, who easily converted the opportunity to level the score. The Bundesliga side took full momentum from the miscue, building a 3-1 lead by halftime through goals from Serhou Guirassy in the 34th minute and Jobe Bellingham in the 45th. An own goal by Khuliso Mudau, who misdirected Daniel Svensson’s cross in the 59th minute, gave Dortmund a 4-1 advantage. However, the South African champions mounted a strong response. Iqraam Rayners struck in the 62nd minute after his initial header bounced off the post, and Lebo Mothiba netted in the 90th to make it 4-3. Nuno Santo signs new three-year deal to stay at Nottingham Forest Despite the late push, the Sundowns could not recover from earlier defensive lapses. Notably, American midfielder Gio Reyna, who is with Dortmund instead of the U.S. national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, remained on the bench for the second match in a row. Key Moment:Nmecha’s equaliser — gifted by a misplaced pass from the Sundowns keeper — swung the match’s momentum in Dortmund’s favour. Group Implications:The result sends Dortmund to the top of Group H, overtaking Sundowns, who now face a must-win clash against Fluminense on Wednesday. Dortmund will meet Ulsan the same day. What They Said:“I think we did very well first of all, but we just lacked a bit of concentration in a few little bits. … We gave them a hard time,” said Sundowns forward Tashreeq Matthews. Jamal Musiala suffers another injury for Bayern Munich at Club World Cup “It was really difficult, especially for us, being a European team. They played a fantastic game, and I’m sure they’re used to that kind of weather. … In the game, you have to find little fixes,” said Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham. Source: With inputs from agency 

Nuno Espírito Santo has signed a new three-year contract to remain as manager of Nottingham Forest until at least 2028. The 51-year-old led Forest to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League last season, securing European football for the first time since the 1995-96 season. Although Forest had been in contention for a Champions League spot for much of the campaign, they lost five of their final eight matches. Despite this, club owner Evangelos Marinakis rewarded Nuno for guiding Forest to their highest league finish in 30 years and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, where they were eliminated by Manchester City. Jamal Musiala suffers another injury for Bayern Munich at Club World Cup Nuno expressed his happiness to continue at the club, highlighting the strong connection built between players, fans, and staff that contributed to their success last season. He thanked Marinakis for his ongoing support and emphasized the importance of a solid relationship with the club’s ownership as they aim to create more memorable moments together. Having taken charge in December 2023 following the dismissal of Steve Cooper, Nuno helped Forest avoid relegation on the last day of that season. Marinakis praised Nuno’s positive impact, noting his ability to maximize player performance, develop talent, and successfully integrate young players into the first team. #With inputs from The Guardian

Bayern Munich's star midfielder Jamal Musiala sustained another injury during the Club World Cup match on Friday night, just 25 minutes after being subbed on. He was replaced in the 82nd minute by veteran German international Thomas Müller. Musiala entered the match in the 57th minute against Boca Juniors, but the exact nature of his injury has not yet been disclosed. Liverpool starts Premier League title defense against Bournemouth while Man U hosts Arsenal The 22-year-old had recently been recovering from a torn hamstring sustained during the Bundesliga season. Prior to Friday’s game, he had not featured for Bayern since April and only returned to full training on May 7. Due to his ongoing recovery, Bayern Munich and Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann opted not to include Musiala in the national squad for the UEFA Nations League semifinals held in late May.

US President Donald Trump was presented with a Portugal national team jersey signed by Cristiano Ronaldo during the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada. The gift was handed over by European Council President Antonio Costa, who is Portuguese and has held the post since 2024. Costa arrived in Kananaskis, Alberta, on Monday and presented the jersey during a private meeting with Trump. Reading aloud the message inscribed on the shirt, Costa said: "To President Donald J. Trump, Playing for Peace." Holding the No.7 jersey with both hands, Trump, 79, responded: "I like it, playing for peace." Galle Test: Mushfiqur, Litton fall quickly as Bangladesh pass 450 Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, is the top scorer in men's international football history with 138 goals. He recently led Portugal to victory in the UEFA Nations League and is expected to represent his country in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Ronaldo currently plays for Saudi club Al Nassr.Source: ESPN