Tamim Iqbal has said that he has not yet been paid by Chittagong Kings for the first season of the Bangladesh Premier League. Tamim also said the franchise’s owner and chief executive, Sameer Quader Chowdhury, asked him to tell the BPL governing council that he had been paid, though the franchise denied that claim. The BPL confirmed Tamim was the only unpaid Kings’ player after the league’s first season.”I couldn’t play many of the BPL matches, so I told him [Chowdhury] let’s sit and decide a figure, which came to Taka 1 crore ($123,000), but I still haven’t received a single taka,” Tamim told the Bengali newspaper . “Samir Quader Chowdhury gave me a check worth Taka 1 crore six or seven months ago, but it bounced. Since then he has given me dates but has never kept the commitment.”According to the initial BPL ruling, which asked franchises to pay its icon players 10% more than its highest-paid player, Tamim was supposed to receive $210,000 (Tk 1.7 crore approximately) as Chittagong’s icon. Chowdhury, however, insisted the BPL governing council had changed the payment structure. The bounced cheque, he said, in fact had been stopped.”We gave him the cheque a long time ago but we had stopped it because we found out that the payment for the icon players had been reduced to $100,000, which amounts to approximately Tk 80 lakh, and after 10% tax deduction it ends up as Tk 72 lakh,” Chowdhury said. “We asked the board how much we should pay Tamim, but we haven’t heard back from them. We asked them to take the fact that he played only two matches into consideration too. Unless they tell us, we can’t pay him.”BCB director Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir, the secretary of the BPL governing council, said the league had asked the franchises to decide after discussion with individual players, on a case-by-case basis, as to what the icon salary should be pegged at.”All the other franchises have spoken to their icon players and I expect it to end amicably with Tamim and Chittagong as well,” Alamgir said. “He is the only unpaid player in their franchise and I expect it to be completed before the October 20 deadline, when the teams have to complete all payments.”Tamim also said he was asked to misinform the BPL about his payments. “Sameer [Quader Chowdhury] asked me to tell the board that I got my full payment, but I didn’t. I informed the BPL governing council of what he asked me to do, though I didn’t lodge a complaint. I didn’t want to ruin my relationship with Sameer but now, after so long, I have no other options [but to tell the media].”Chowdhury denied the claim, saying, “If that was true, why would I ask the board how much we should pay him?”This is the latest episode in the fractious relationship between Tamim and the Chittagong franchise. After missing four BPL games due to a groin injury, Tamim was reportedly kept sidelined after a bust-up with Dean Jones, the team’s technical director at the time. It escalated when he was left out of the team’s first home game, though his name was initially in the playing eleven and later cut out. Jones soon left for India and Tamim played the following match. Both parties denied any problems at the time.

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Everton succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to champions Manchester City on Wednesday night, with Marco Silva’s men taking the defeat lying down without a fight, although one man looked like he wanted to take the game to Pep Guardiola’s men.

The Toffees’ star man on the night

Second-choice right-back Jonjoe Kenny, who was making just his sixth Premier League start of the season against the Cityzens, excelled up against Leroy Sane and made life difficult for the German, so much so that he was withdrawn in the 58th minute by Guardiola.

Marco Silva opted to deploy the 21-year-old ahead of Seamus Coleman, and Kenny did his chances of a regular spot in the starting XI no harm with his display. The Englishman had 81 touches of the ball, 23 more than his nearest teammate managed, whilst also making two successful tackles against arguably the league’s most dangerous side.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Kenny also made a huge six clearances on a night where he was unfortunate to be on the losing team, and his performance could have serious ramifications on a Goodison Park icon.

Coleman’s time at Everton could be over

Despite making 20 league starts for the Toffees this season, the Republic of Ireland international has failed to live up to his form of yesteryear and looks like he is starting to decline as a footballer.

Fans of the Merseyside-based side have already lambasted Coleman for his woeful performances so far this season, so Kenny’s vastly different showings could persuade Silva to give him a few more starts – if that becomes the case, the 30-year-old’s decade-long stay at Goodison Park could soon be over as a place on the bench beckons.

Everton have spent significant fees on revamping their ageing backline, including £18m on left-back Lucas Digne and £27m on Yerry Mina to replace Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka respectively, and Coleman could be the next Toffees icon to face the chop.

أصدرت رابطة الدوري الإسباني “ليجا” بيانًا رسميًا منذ قليل تؤكد من خلاله دعمها الكامل لملف اتحاد الكرة في بلادها من أجل استضافة بطولة كأس العالم 2030.

يأتي ذلك على الرغم من الخلافات بين المؤسستين في الفترة الماضية بسبب مواعيد المباريات وسياسة إدارة بطولة الدوري على مدار الأشهر الأخيرة، ولكن تساند الليجا الاتحاد الإسباني في ملف الترشح لاستضافة البطولة مع البرتغال بعد 10 سنوات.

وأفادت الليجا في بيانها أنها تدرك مدى أهمية استضافة مثل هذا الحدث، لأنه يعد دفعة كبيرة للاقتصاد والرياضة الإسبانية اللتين تكتسبان مكانة كبيرة في البلاد.

لهذا السبب، تقتنع الليجا بأهمية هذه البطولة بالنسبة للعلامة التجارية الإسبانية والتنمية الاقتصادية، وتؤكد على دعمها ومساندتها للترشح لاستضافة كأس العالم 2030.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيفا يعلن مواعيد افتتاح ونهائي كأس العالم 2022 في قطر

الجدير بالذكر أن هناك أكثر من دولة تقدمت بطلب استضافة تلك البطولة كالتالي:

إفريقيا: المغرب.

أمريكا الجنوبية: الأرجنتين، أوروجواي، باراجواي وتشيلي.

أوروبا: رومانيا، اليونان، بلغاريا وصربيا.

Tottenham supporters have been in fine voice in recent times after seeing their side get back to winning ways with victory in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men went into their encounter with Watford at Wembley off the back of successive cup exits, having lost to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and then Crystal Palace in the FA Cup. Yet the North Londoners bounced back in beating Javi Gracia’s Hornets 2-1 at the national stadium on Wednesday, with second half goals from Son Heung-min and Fernando Llorente inspiring the hosts to an 18th Premier League win of the campaign.

As such, there have been many delighted Tottenham fans up and down the country in recent times, although plenty are likely to be very wary indeed of the threat posed by Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United this weekend, who have enjoyed a great week both on and off the field.

And Spurs boss Pochettino will certainly need his best players to step up against the resurgent Magpies this weekend, with £72 million-rated Christian Eriksen (as per Transfermarkt) the man to plunge the North East giants back into the doldrums by inspiring Tottenham to victory.

Ultimately, Benitez’s side began the week with a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Watford in the FA Cup, which looked set to pave the way for a testing few days given time was ticking towards the January window, and no business had been done by the Magpies.

Yet a sensational 2-1 success over Premier League champions Manchester City on Wednesday night went some way to bringing the feel-good factor back to St James’ Park, which was then followed by the breaking of the club’s long-standing transfer record to sign Miguel Almiron on Deadline Day.

All in all, the North East heavyweights are somewhat riding a wave of positivity and optimism ahead of their trip to Spurs on Saturday, which suggests that Pochettino’s men are going to have to be at their very best to negotiate what looks set to be a difficult fixture.

But in Denmark international Eriksen, the Tottenham manager has the sort of player that, at his very best, can give Spurs the spark needed to get the better of a resurgent Newcastle this weekend.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed another fine season in North London with six goals and ten assists in all competitions for Spurs, four goals and eight assists of which have come in the Premier League to help Pochettino’s side to third place after 24 matches – once again, a top four finish looks to be in the offing for Tottenham.

But with Harry Kane and Dele Alli injured, the emphasis will certainly be on Eriksen to produce the goods against a Newcastle side that are likely to be well organised and difficult to break down at Wembley – Spurs will likely need some Eriksen magic to unlock the Magpies backline.

But with plenty of assists already this season, alongside a staggering tally of 60 overall in his Premier League career to date, the 26-year-old certainly has what it takes to be the difference once again at the weekend – as he has been so many times in his Spurs career.

Clearly then, Newcastle will provide a stern test to Tottenham given the week they have had both on and off the pitch, which will likely demand the very best of Pochettino’s side to get the three points needed to remain just about in title contention.

And in Danish star Eriksen, the Argentine has a player that, at his best, can plunge the Magpies back into the doldrums after their brilliant week.

Tottenham and Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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In Rangers’ recent 4-2 win over Aberdeen, star man Alfredo Morelos hit a first-half double which turned out to be the difference between one point and three for Steven Gerrard’s men.

However, he picked up yet another straight red card, which will have been certain to leave a bitter taste in the Gers supporters and his manager’s mouth despite the result.

Staggeringly, the Colombian international’s dismissal was his fourth of the season so far, and it goes without saying that Morelos has a few disciplinary problems that are costing his teammates dearly, as Chris Sutton has also suggested – Rangers have won just once from the six games that the 22-year-old has been absent for through suspension.

“I blame Morelos for Rangers’ season and where they’re languishing. Steven Gerrard says ‘we are here to win trophies’ but why did they get knocked out of the League Cup? Morelos wasn’t playing in the semi final.

“You look yesterday, you look against Dundee, you look at other games against Aberdeen this season where he has been sent off twice and that’s nine points they have dropped with no Morelos.

“The influence he has on the field is great for Rangers but he can’t control himself. That’s the reason Rangers are where they are – he has let his manager down.”

Undoubtedly, Morelos is a fans’ favourite at Ibrox thanks to his full-blooded displays and impressive knack of finding the back of the net, although there comes a time when his determination to get stuck in and assert himself crosses a line in terms of his professionalism.

His value to the team is clear – Morelos has scored 21 goals across all competitions so far this season, and Rangers wouldn’t be where they are in the table without him.

On the flip side, he has also cost them the chance to be better placed. Morelos’ temper cost him his place in the Scottish Cup semi-final, a game that Rangers lost to Aberdeen that they would’ve had a much better chance of winning with him on the pitch.

This may be unpopular, but it is definitely worth cashing in on a troublesome player who would certainly bring in a significant amount of money, and then look to reinvest that in a squad that is lacking a match winner aside from the young forward.

Second choice keeper Wes Foderingham looks set to leave in search of first team football, whilst first choice stopper Allan McGregor is 37 years of age and will surely need replacing soon.

It has been suggested that the Scottish giants are ‘spending money they don’t have’, and if that is the case, a large income from a player sale will be needed to fund an overhaul of a squad lacking top-class ability and one miles off the quality of table-topping Celtic – the Bhoys are now eight points clear of the Gers as a result of Morelos’ failure to behave himself and be available for the big games.

As previously mentioned, it won’t be a popular departure from Ibrox, but Rangers would be better placed cashing in on the temperamental Colombian forward and spending that money on reinforcing the team.

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According to the Scottish Sun, Arsenal are planning a £25 million bid for Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney.

The defender has been one of the Hoops’ standout performers this season, and it’s unsurprising that he’s attracting plenty of interest. Losing the 21-year-old would be a major blow for the Bhoys, but they will struggle to retain the Scot’s services should the Gunners come in with such a huge bid.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon should already be planning for life without Tierney at Celtic Park.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

On the chalkboard

Celtic will struggle to buy in a replacement for Tierney of the same quality. However, they may not have to sign anyone at all. 18-year-old Scotland under-19 international Daniel Church may be ready to make the step up to the first team.

The youngster signed a new contract with the club in September and is a highly-rated prospect. It would be a bold move, but bringing Church into the first team, to work alongside veteran full-back Emilio Izaguirre, could pay off. Extending Izaguirre’s current contract so that he is available to compete with Church next season would be a wise move.

A change in style

The loss of Tierney would likely also mean a change in the way Celtic play. The 12-cap Scotland international contributes a lot in an attacking sense. He has already racked up five league assists this season. The Bhoys may struggle to find someone who can replicate his output in the final third. 

Celtic may, then, revert to a more traditional system, with a more defensively-focused left-back. This would increase the pressure on the likes of Scott Sinclair to deliver from the wide areas but would make Tierney much easier to replace.

The focus will be on West Ham United’s Felipe Anderson and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah on Monday night when the Hammers welcome the Reds to the London Stadium in an important league clash for both sides.

Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping his team can put in a more disciplined performance against the league leaders following a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers last week.

This will require a better showing from Pellegrini’s main players, like Anderson, who has been a standout performer for the East London club this campaign.

Three defeats in as many games have seen West Ham struggling for consistency and despite the commitment from Marko Arnautovic to remain at the club for the remainder of the season, at least, a player like Anderson has failed to take responsibility when the team has had its back against the wall.

But, the quality of the 25-year-old will have any team in the competition a bit worried and Liverpool will need to be at their defensive best to keep him quiet come kick-off.

Anderson could particularly be dangerous to the Liverpool defence who are currently without Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez and if Jurgen Klopp decides to play Jordan Henderson at right-back again, Anderson could really fancy himself on the left-wing to cause them trouble.

With Manchester City breathing down Liverpool’s neck, following their 3-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday,  Klopp will be ever reliant on the brilliance of Salah from now on to guide Liverpool through this challenging part of the season and maybe the Premier League crown.

Liverpool struggled to get going against Leicester City last week and will need the likes of Salah and Roberto Firmino to step-up and put West Ham to the sword.

However, it could be Anderson who has the last laugh.

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Newcastle United attempted to sign Marko Pjaca from Juventus in the January transfer window, as per Corriere Fiorentino, via Sport Witness.

What’s the word?

The Magpies signed Miguel Almiron in a club-record January move, paying £20million to secure the signature of the former Atlanta United playmaker.

The club also secured a loan move for AS Monaco’s Antonio Barreca.

But reports in Italy claim that the club were interested in bringing in Pjaca, who is currently on loan at Fiorentina.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

The 23-year-old has struggled for form at Fiorentina, scoring just once and providing one assist – in the same game, a 3-0 victory over SPAL – in a total of 707 minutes on the pitch.

He played just 30 minutes last time out, against Udinese, and was left on the bench against both Sampdoria and Chievo Verona.

The aforementioned report, via Sport Witness, claims that Juventus wanted to send him to a different club in a bid to help him rediscover his form, with Newcastle attempting to get a deal over the line prior to the transfer deadline.

Pjaca, though, chose instead to stay at Fiorentina and fight for his place – the club are currently ninth in Serie A.

Right recruitment steps

Newcastle are getting better in the transfer market.

Rafael Benitez clearly wanted to strengthen his side and the move for Pjaca suggests that there is now a framework in place for the Magpies’ recruitment strategy.

Along with Almiron and Barreca, he could have been improved by the Spaniard at St James’ Park, after a difficult few months in Italy.

It remains to be seen if he will ever make the grade at Juventus, but he may well have made the wrong decision to stay in Florence.

Fiorentina have done nothing for his career thus far this season but a move to England could have linked him up with Benitez, a manager who has a sterling track record of making players better.

Put this one down as a missed opportunity for both parties.

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Former Rangers manager Mark Warburton has incurred the wrath of many Gers fans after his recent comments about the ambitions to land a league title at the first time of asking after returning to the Scottish top flight.

In a big interview with The Evening Times, Warburton has revealed he got the shock of his life when he walked out at Ibrox on the first day of the 2016/17 season to see a sign declaring ‘Going For 55’.

“Talk about the right message to supporters but one which lights a blue touch paper,” he said. “It should’ve been ‘Rangers are Back’ or ‘Welcome Back’ or ‘Bluenoses are Back’. Don’t put ‘Going for 55’. We still would have sold season tickets.”

Unsurprisingly, many Rangers have taken issue with his comments.

After a bright start to his time at Ibrox, Warburton left the club in acrimonious circumstances in February 2017. He has been out of work since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in December last year.

And following his comments about the first game back in the top flight at Ibrox, it would be fair to say not too many Gers fans are missing him. Here’s a look at how they reacted to his comments on social media…

كشفت تقارير صحفية فرنسية أن نادي مانشستر يونايتد سيحاول التعاقد مع أحد لاعبي فريق برشلونة، قبل نهاية سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.

أولي جونار سولشاير المدير الفني للشياطين الحمر يريد تعزيز صفوف الفريق، من أجل المنافسة على الألقاب في الموسم القادم، والنجاح فيما فشل فيه في موسم 2019/2020، إذ لم يتمكن من بلوغ نهائي كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي ورابطة المحترفين والدوري الأوروبي، وانتهى مشواره في البطولات الثلاث عند نصف النهائي.

وبحسب مجلة “فرانس فوتبول” الفرنسية، فإن اليونايتد يدرس إمكانية التعاقد مع الدولي الفرنسي صامويل أومتيتي قبل نهاية سوق الانتقالات في 5 أكتوبر القادم.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كومان يضغط على برشلونة لحسم صفقته المنتظرة

ويسعى برشلونة إلى تسهيل مغادرة أومتيتي حتى لو بالمجان توفيرًا للرواتب السنوية، في ظل راتبه المُرتفع.

أومتيتي لا يُشارك مؤخرًا مع برشلونة بسبب الإصابات التي تعرض لها، ووجود كليمونت لينجليت وجيرارد بيكيه بالإضافة إلى البديل الشاب، رونالد أروخو.

وأوضحت المجلة أن المسؤولين داخل “أولد ترافورد” سيتصلون بنظرائهم في برشلونة لمعرفة مدى إمكانية ضمه هذا الصيف.