United News of Bangladesh

The future of FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman remains up in the air after his meeting with club President, Joan Laporta on Tuesday evening, but it appears that there is now a real possibility Koeman could continue in the Barcelona dugout next season. Barca's disappointing exit in the last-16 of the Champions League and their third-place finish in La Liga after falling away badly in the last month of the campaign are key factors against Koeman remaining in charge at the Camp Nou. Those results and the apparent criticism of the coach, who last week said he and his players deserved "more respect" from the club, had led most to think that the Dutchman's two-year contract would be terminated with a year left to run, but that appears to have changed after his meeting with Laporta. Although the meeting lasted for just over half an hour according to the Barcelona-based press, Koeman's agent, Rob Jansen told reporters he had left the meeting with "good feelings," adding "there will be more conversations." That implies that Koeman will remain at Barcelona, at least for the near future, and the news that the club is negotiating with Dutch midfielder, Georginio Wijnaldum strengthens that feeling. Wijnaldum's agent was spotted at the Camp Nou offices earlier this week and the 30-year-old's contract with Liverpool expires this summer allowing him to move on a free transfer. The 30-year-old is a player that Koeman had requested to strengthen his squad for the coming season and it would make little sense to attend to a specific petition from the coach if Koeman was on the verge of leaving the club. As well as the probable arrival of Wijnaldum, one factor in Koeman's favor is the work he has done with young players such as Pedri, Oscar Mingueza, Ronald Araujo and Ilaix Moriba, all of whom look certain to play a big part in Barca's low-cost squad next season as the club continues to work on the renewal of its aging squad.

The 47th Copa America Championship is being organized by the South American Football Confederation and Argentina will host the month-long tournament from June 13 to July 10 this year. The South American football championship is recognized as one of the most prestigious football competitions after the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship. So, there is a vast interest among fans all over the world regarding Copa America. Brazil is the defending champion, and Uruguay have the most trophy (15) in the competition's history. So, things you need to know about Copa America 2021 are discussed in this article.      Why Copa America 2021 is delayed for a year? The tournament was supposed to take place from June 12 to July 12, 2020. But like other sporting events around the world, this competition also had to postpone due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The South American football federation (CONMEBOL) declared on March 17, 2020, that the tournament would be postponed for a year because of the COVID-19 outbreak across the continent. The novel coronavirus in the South American continent started affecting sporting events from March and a number of tournaments were deferred for later dates. Similarly, CONMEBOL federation had to postpone the Copa Libertadores. On the other side, FIFA also suspended the first two rounds of South American qualifying for the Qatar World Cup 2022. In the same month, the South American Football Federation confirmed that the Copa America would not be held as planned due to the risk of covid-19 infection. Instead, the tournament will therefore take place in June and July of 2021. Read: Tamim, Shakib and Mustafizur Reach Unique Milestones in the first ODI against Sri Lanka In Argentina, where will the matches take place? Initially, the 2021 South American Championships were to be co-hosted by Colombia and Argentina. Colombia eventually withdrew its names as organizers owing to political unrest. As a result, Argentina will be hosting the Copa America tournament all alone. Three or four more venues may be added to the four that have already been confirmed. The tournament will be held between the middle of June and the middle of July. The following cities so far have been confirmed to host the matches of the tournament: Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza and Santiago del Estero. The following stadiums have been confirmed to host the matches: Estadio Monumental: minimum 5 matches Estadio Malvinas Argentinas: minimum 3 matches Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes: minimum 3 matches Estadio Único: minimum 2 matches  Read: Five reasons behind Bangladesh's win over Sri Lanka in the first ODI Who will play who in the group phase? The format of the tournament is that the top four teams from each group will secure the quarterfinals. After that, the best two teams will play the final after going through two more phases of the knockout stage.    Let's take a quick look at the two groups Group A Group B Argentina Colombia Bolivia Brazil Uruguay Venezuela Chile Ecuador Paraguay Peru  Prize Money for the Copa America 2021 The overall prize money for the event is estimated to be around $20 million. As soon as the teams reach the knockout stage, they will be awarded large sums of money. If a team makes it to the quarterfinals, they will get $1.5 million. The fourth-place team will receive $2.5 million, while the third-place team will receive $3 million. Meanwhile, the runner-up will receive $3.5 million and the champion team will get $6.5 million.    Read: What Bangladesh's World Cup 2023 squad would look like? Bottom Line The information provided above includes things you need to know about Copa America 2021. The Copa America Championship will be held after resolving all of the challenges caused by the pandemic coronavirus. Spectators may or may not be permitted inside the stadium depending on the state of covid-19 across the continent. The tournament committee is devoted to following the health regulations in order to limit the danger of coronavirus infection. Hopefully, the tournament will be well-organized.

Holders Bashundhara Kings maintained an all-win record in the Women's Football League 2020-21 outplaying FC Brahmanbaria 6-0 goal at the Kamalapur Stadium Saturday. National booter Krishna Rani Sarkar netted a hat-trick for the Kings, scoring three goals in the 7th, 16th and 56th minutes. Shamsunnahar Junior struck twice in the 54th and 59th minutes while Maria Manda scored the other goal in the 89th minute. With the day's feat, national star-studded Kings have secured nine points from three matches while FC Brahmanbaria bagged six points from three outings. In the day's other match, Ataur Rahman Bhuiyan College SC crushed Kanchijuli Sporting Club 11-0 at the same venue, riding on hat-tricks of Shaheda Akhter Ripa and Anuching Marma. Aklima Akhter netted two while Marzia, Sajeda and Swapna scored one each for the winners. The ongoing Women's Football League will remain postponed from Sunday due to the prevailing extreme hot weather in the capital and elsewhere in the country. The new schedule of the league will be announced later.

With or without Lionel Messi, Barcelona will look different next season. Club president Joan Laporta himself admits changes are coming. “It’s the end of a cycle. We are entering a process of renovation,” Laporta said at an event late Tuesday. Barcelona has one Spanish league match left this season but it’s not in contention for the title anymore in what will be a disappointing ending to another complicated season for the Catalan club. “We won the Copa del Rey title, and we are proud of that, but we were eliminated very early in the Champions League and we lost the league in an incomprehensible manner,” Laporta said. “So it’s time to analyze the results, our game, and also our attitude, mentality and ambition.” Barcelona may finish as low as fourth in the Spanish league, a competition it was challenging for only a few weeks ago before squandering several opportunities to take the lead. In the Champions League, the team couldn’t get past Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, extending its European title drought to six years. “We’ve been working for some time to find the elements that we’ll need to build a very competitive team and win the relevant titles,” Laporta said. “And starting next week we will start explaining what we will be doing.” Laporta has some big challenges ahead, including convincing Messi to stay after he asked to leave at the end of last season. The Argentine’s contract ends this season and there is still no word on whether he will continue with the club. Laporta based his presidential campaign on his ability to convince Messi to stay. Laporta also will have to put the club back on track financially after it was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Spanish media reports said Laporta recently was able to land a deal of several hundred million dollars with Goldman Sachs that will help the club restructure its finances. The squad changes may start at the top with coach Ronald Koeman, who was criticized for not taking advantage of the team’s chances near the end of the season. There have been widespread talks about former player Xavi Hernández taking over his job for next season. There are also rumors about the possible arrival of Memphis Depay to boost the team’s attack, while Spanish media has speculated that Antoine Griezmann could leave after another lackluster season for the France forward. Some reports say he could be involved in a trade with Atlético Madrid for young Portugal star João Félix. Among the team’s more veteran players still in the squad are Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto and Sergio Busquets. Younger players who have been doing well include Ansu Fati, Pedri González, Sergiño Dest and Ousmane Dembélé. Laporta said the club’s women’s team should be seen an example after winning its first Champions League title on Sunday with a 4-0 victory over Chelsea. “Today it’s women’s soccer that represents the pride of all of our fans,” Laporta said. “In men’s soccer we will need to go through a renovation process because a cycle has ended.”

The month-long UEFA Euro 2020 tournament will take place in various parts of Europe from June 11 to July 11. The Union of European Football Associations is hosting the 16th UEFA European Championship. The European Championship is regarded as the most important football competition after FIFA World Cup. So there is an added interest among the fans for this tournament. Portugal are the defending champion. The video assistant referee system will be used in this edition of the European Championship. There is a curiosity about this year's tournament, so all you need to know about Euro 2020 is discussed in this article.   Why has UEFA Euro 2020 been delayed for a year? UEFA was concerned about the safety of players and personnel as traveling all the host cities would have been risky amid the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020. The UEFA reported in early March that they were optimistic in their ability to cope with the crisis and that they were in touch with the World Health Organization to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection. Read: International Athletes show solidarity with the Palestinians However, numerous domestic and UEFA competitions had begun to be postponed because of the impact of covid-19. Big European leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 had been suspended by mid-March. UEFA held a videoconference with representatives from its affiliates in March 2020 to discuss the effect of the epidemic on football tournaments, including Euro 2020. Following that meeting, UEFA announced that the tournament will be postponed until next year. Who will host Euro 2020? The European Championships will take place in 11 cities across Europe for the first time. The tournament will take place between mid-June and mid-July. The cities that will be hosting the tournament are London (England), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Baku (Azerbaijan), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Bucharest (Romania),  Budapest (Hungary), Copenhagen (Denmark), Glasgow (Scotland), and Seville (Spain). The stadiums where the matches will take place are as follows: Wembley Stadium: 7 matches including semifinals and the championship match Saint Petersburg Stadium: 7 matches Baku Olympic Stadium: 4 matches Football Arena Munich: 4 matches Olimpico in Rome: 4 matches Johan Cruijff Arena: 4 matches National Arena Bucharest: 4 matches Puskás Aréna: 4 matches Parken Stadium: 4 matches Hampden Park: 4 matches Stadium La Cartuja Sevilla: 4 matches Read: Greatest Football XI: Best Brazil Team of All Time Who will play who in the group stage? The format of the tournament is that the best two teams from six groups will reach the last 16 and the top four third-place finishers from all groups will also ensure the round of 16. Let's take a look at the groups at a glance Group A Group C Group E Italy Austria Poland Wales Ukraine Sweden Turkey North Macedonia Spain Switzerland Netherlands Slovakia Group B Group D Group F Russia Croatia Portugal Denmark England France Finland Czech Republic Germany Belgium Scotland Hungary   UEFA Euro Prize Money 2020 At least 9.25 million euros will be awarded to each team competing in Euro 2021. In addition, for any win in the group stage, teams will receive 1.5 million Euros, and for a draw, they will receive 7, 50,000 Euros. Teams will be awarded 2 million Euros if they progress to the last 16; 3.25 million Euros if they advance to the quarterfinals and 5 million Euros if they qualify to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the runner-up will receive 7 million euros and the champion team will get 10 million euros. Read: Best Argentina Football XI of All Time Bottom Line The above discussion covers all you need to know about Euro 2020. The European Championship will finally be held after overcoming all the obstacles amidst the novel coronavirus. The positive news is that the spectators will be allowed to enter the stadium to see all the matches of this tournament, but that will be limited. The tournament committee is determined to follow health and safety guidelines in order to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection. Hopefully, the best team will win this year's event. 

Argentina is one of the most popular football teams in the world. They've won two World Cups and a number of Copa America titles. We've seen many world-famous footballers represent this country. Football legend Diego Maradona and current sensation Lionel Messi are the two most well-known names in Argentine football. Aside from these two, Argentina has produced a plethora of talented footballers over the years. Some of them are familiar to us, and some are unfamiliar to us. Argentina's best-ever 11 has been created in today's article with these best footballers. Here's a look at the best Argentina football XI of all time.  Argentina’s greatest XI of all time We selected a 4-3-2-1 formation for picking Argentina's best XI.  Goalkeeper Ubaldo Fillol (1974-82) | M: 58 | Goal: 0 Ubaldo Fillol is widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers of all time, as well as the best Argentine goalkeeper. He represented Argentina in the FIFA World Cups of 1974, 1978, and 1982. Fillol was named Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament after helping Argentina to their first World Cup in 1978. He also participated in the 1986 World Cup qualifiers for Albiceleste. Right Back Javier Zanetti (1998-2002) | M: 143 | Goal: 4 Javier Zanetti began his professional career in Argentina before moving to Italy to play with Inter Milan from 1995 to 2014. He is seventh on the all-time list of players with the most official games played. He made 143 appearances for Argentina. Zanetti was a versatile player who could play on the left and right wings. Left Back Silvio Marzolini (1962-66) | M: 28 | Goal: 1 Silvio Marzolini rose to prominence in the 1960s. He is widely regarded as Argentina's greatest ever left-back. Marzolini played 28 games for Argentina and was a member of the national team in the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups. He was named the best left-back In the 1966 edition of the tournament. Center Back Daniel Passarella (1978-82) | | M: 70 | Goal: 22 Argentina's 1978 World Cup-winning team was captained by Daniel Passarella. He is widely regarded as the all-time best South American defender. Passarella was once the top-scoring defender in football. Center Back Oscar Ruggeri (1983-1994) | M: 97 | Goal: 7 Oscar Ruggeri was a part of the Argentina national team that won the 1986 FIFA World Cup and two Copa América championships. Ruggeri was recognized for his rugged style of play when marking players and he is also considered as one of Argentina's all-time best defenders.  Read: Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Combined ODI XI 2021 Defensive Midfield Javier Mascherano (2003-2018) | M: 147 | Goal: 3 Javier Mascherano has 147 caps for Argentina. He represented his country in five Copa América tournaments and four FIFA World Cups. He won two gold medal at the Summer Olympics (2004 and 2008). Mascherano also served as the captain of Argentina. Center Midfield Juan RománRiquelme (1997-2008) | M: 51 | Goal: 17 In 1997, Juan RománRiquelme made his senior team debut. In 2006, he made his only World Cup debut. Many believe him to be one of Argentina's finest players of all time, as well as one of the best midfielders in the history of the game. Center Midfield Osvaldo Ardiles (1975-1982) | M: 51 | Goal: 8 Osvaldo Ardiles helped Argentina national team to win the 1978 FIFA World Cup. He was a gifted and tenacious midfielder. Ardiles made an invaluable contribution to the Tottenham Hotspur team during his time in England. Right Wing Forward Diego Maradona (1982-94) | M: 91 | Goal: 34 Diego Maradona is generally acknowledged as one of football's all-time greats. He represented Argentina in 91 games and scored 34 goals. Maradona participated in four FIFA World Cups. He captained Argentina in the 1986 edition in Mexico and almost single-handedly guided them to win the second world cup trophy. Read: Manchester City vs Chelsea: Who will win the Champions League 2021? Left-Wing Forward Lionel Messi (2006- Present) | M: 142 | Goal: 71 Messi has a total of six Ballon d'Or awards to his name and is generally regarded as one of the best players of all time. Argentina's all-time leading goal scorer is Lionel Messi. In 2005, he won the FIFA World Youth Championship, and in 2008, he won an Olympic gold medal. Under his captaincy, Argentina reached the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, for which he received the Golden Ball. Center forward Gabriel Batistuta (1994-2002) | M: 77 | Goal: 54 Gabriel Batistuta is recognized as one of the all-time great strikers. Batistuta scored 54 goals in 77 official matches for Argentina. He participated in three FIFA World Cups, scored 10 goals. With the Argentina national team, he won two consecutive Copa América titles (1991 and 1993), and the 1992 FIFA Confederations Cup.  Bottom Line Overall, the aforementioned team is the best Argentina football XI of all time. However, Argentina has produced a slew of other world-class footballers in addition to the players who made our list of the best XI. Notable among them are Mario Kempes, Juan SebastiánVerón, Sergio Aguero, Diego Simeone, Fernando Redondo, and Roberto Ayala. Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: ODI Series Preview 

The training of the national football team for next month's Group E 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers began Monday at Bangabandhu National Stadium. Bangladesh will play against Afghanistan, India and Oman in their remaining three Group E qualifiers on June 4, 7 and 15 at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar's Doha. The national side is expected to leave the capital on May 21. All the 33 booters of the preliminary squad, except injured Bashundhara Kings defender Bishwanath Ghosh, joined Monday's training session under head coach Jamie Day and other coaches. Also read: BPL Football: Arambagh KS pull off biggest upset outplaying Sheikh Jamal DC 3-1 Bangladesh team will also take the field for training Tuesday at the same venue. Earlier last week, Bangladesh Football Federation initially picked 33 footballers to form a national team for the heavyweight meet. All the 31 players, who earned a call-up to the national camp for the recently concluded tri-nation tournament in Nepal, except Tutul Hossain Badsha, were again recalled to the Qatar-bound preliminary squad. Also, defender Topu Barman, Bangladeshi origin Finland booter Tariq Raihan Kazi and winger Mohammad Ibrahim returned to the team.  A maximum of nine players from champions Bashundhara Kings made it to the squad.  Preliminary squad Anisur Rahman Zico, Rimon Hossain, Topu Barman, Masuk Miya Jony, Biplu Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman Sufil, Matin Miah, Mohammad Ibrahim, Tariq Raihan 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) Also read: BPL Football: Baridhara taste 2nd victory crushing Brothers 3-0 Ashraful Islam Rana, Mohammad Abdullah (Sheikh Russel), Manik Hossain 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)

Harry Kane endured a frustrating match in his bid to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot for the third time despite scoring in Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Wolverhampton on Sunday. Kane’s 45th-minute goal moved him to a league-leading 22 for the season — one clear of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah — but the England captain also struck the post twice and had an effort cleared off the line. Kane has two games left while Salah has three, starting with West Bromwich Albion later Sunday. Kane was the league’s top scorer in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who set up Kane for the opening goal with a piercing through-ball, added the second in the 64th minute by tapping in a rebound from close range after Gareth Bale’s shot was saved. Tottenham moved into sixth place, above West Ham on goal difference, and still has a mathematical — if highly unlikely — chance of finishing in the top four in the race for Champions League qualification after winning three of its last four league games under interim manager Ryan Mason. The team is five points behind fourth-place Chelsea. “We are not happy with where we are, we should be higher and we only have ourselves to blame,” Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli said. “We are showing now what we can do but it is a bit too late. We just have to keep working hard and take it into the next season as well.” Kane could easily have had a hat trick at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the striker curling a long-range shot from distance against the base of the post in the fifth minute and then beating goalkeeper Rui Patricio to a high ball only to see his header cleared off the line by backpedaling defender Conor Coady. Off a sharp counterattack early in the second half, Alli slipped a ball through for Kane but his low shot was tipped onto the post by Patricio. Alli latched onto the rebound but struck the follow-up against the other post. “Excellent,” Mason said of Tottenham’s display. “We created lots of chances and the score line was probably a bit flattering to them. There were big moments, their keeper made a couple of good saves, we hit the post three times and dominated the game in the second half, so really pleased.”

Bottom-ranked Arambagh KS pulled off the biggest upset in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football, outplaying former champion Sheikh Jamal DC by 3-1 goals at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Tuesday. Despite the victory, Arambagh KS remained at the bottom of the 13-team league securing five points from 16 matches. Also read: BPL Football: Baridhara taste 2nd victory crushing Brothers 3-0 In the match, Arambagh KS not only tasted the first victory in the league but also took revenge of their embarrassing 6-0 goals defeat against Sheikh Jamal in the first phase league. With the day's maiden defeat in their 15 league match, Sheikh Jamal DC went to third place in the league table after Bashundhara Kings (43 points) and Dhaka Abahani Ltd (32) with their previous credit of 32 points from 15 encounters. Also read: BPL Football: Mohammedan move to 4th spot beating Sheikh Russel 1-0 In Tuesday’s match, both sides had scored a goal in the first half. Gambian forward Omar Jobe put Sheikh Jamal ahead in the 15th minute (1-0) while Uzbek striker Islomjon Abdukadyrov restored the parity for Arambagh KS in the stoppage time (45+1) of the first half (1-1). Also read: BPL Football: Mohammedan move to 5th spot beating Saif 2-1 Midfielder Omar Faruq and local forward Nihat Zaman Ucchash scored two quick goals for Arambagh KS in the span of only three minutes (54th and 57th) to seal the fate of the match much to the frustration of three-time champion Sheikh Jamal.

Uttar Baridhara tasted their second victory in the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football, beating Brothers Union 3-0 in the battle of two bottom-ranked teams Monday. The winners dominated the first half 1-0 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. Egyptian midfielder Mostafa Kahraba scored twice for Baridhara in the 14th and 63rd minutes while local defender Mohammad Sujon Biswas netted another goal in the 78th minute. With the day's feat, Baridhara Club advanced to the 10th slot in the points table. Muktijoddha remained at 11th spot, securing 12 points from 15 matches and Brothers at 12th spot with five points from 16 matches. Three league matches will be held on Tuesday at the same venue. Three times champions Sheikh Jamal will play Arambagh, the team with the lowest standing and points in the league, at 4pm, Sheikh Russel will face Chittagong Abahani at 7pm while Saif SC will encounter Muktijoddha at 9pm. Bashundhara Kings have so far dominated the league, securing 43 points from 15 matches while Dhaka Abahani and Sheikh Jamal have occupied the second and third spot in the league standings with 32 points each.