Head of global football authority Gianni Infantino on Wednesday said he would like to visit Bangladesh in the next two months and hoped to fund the country's women's football. The FIFA chief made the comments when he called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in the Swiss city of Davos. Infantino praised Yunus' ideas in making sports carbon neutral and said the FIFA would help develop soccer in the South Asian region, said Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder. Dr Yunus engages with global leaders, seeks support to bring back stolen money "I want to visit Bangladesh in the next two months," Infantino told Prof Yunus. He said that FIFA would like to fund women's football in Bangladesh after the Chief Adviser sought his support to build facilities such as dormitories and other infrastructures for Bangladeshi women footballers. Infantino said that FIFA would also help women's football in Saudi Arabia and added that the Bangladeshi diaspora in the kingdom will also benefit from the FIFA move. UN chief Guterres meets Dr Yunus in Davos Infantino regretted that he could not visit Bangladesh during the ongoing youth festival despite being invited. Lamiya Morshed, SDGs Affairs Coordinator, and Ambassador Tareq Md Ariful Islam, Bangladesh Permanent Representative in Geneva, also attended the meeting.

Former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas joined the Argentinian club Newell's Old Boys on a free transfer on Wednesday. The 38-year-old Costa Rican, who recently retired from international soccer, won three Champions League titles with Real but has not played since the end of his stint in Paris last May. “Thank God we are returning to the pitch," Navas said on his social media accounts. "I feel ready, willing and very happy to take this new challenge.” Mainz signs US midfielder Lennard Maloney from Bundesliga rival Heidenheim Newell's, Lionel Messi's boyhood club, is based in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northeast of Buenos Aires. Newell's called Navas “an international legend” on social media. He has played in the last three World Cups for his country. The length of his deal with Newell's has not been disclosed.

German-born U.S. midfielder Lennard Maloney has joined Mainz from Bundesliga rival Heidenheim, where he was dropped last month after expressing his wish to leave. The 25-year-old Maloney, who had informed Heidenheim he was going to join Mainz when his contract expired at the end of the season, got his wish Tuesday when the clubs agreed on a deal. “Maloney has been able to prove himself in the Bundesliga over the last year and a half,” said Mainz sporting director Niko Bungert said. “His preferred position is as a number six and as a player, he’s the perfect fit for Mainz 05. He brings a strong mentality, as well as a willingness to run hard, and is also strong at winning challenges and aerial duels. Lennard will find it easy to fit into our squad with his warm, open personality.” Maloney signed a contract to 2028. After 18 rounds of the league, Heidenheim is in the relegation playoff spot while sixth-place Mainz is on course for European qualification. Read: Messi scores goal as Inter Miami opens preseason play with friendly win over Club America Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt said in December he wasn’t picking the defensive midfielder because he lacked commitment amid a series of disappointing performances. “I can only count on players in this phase who are 100% focused on the interests of Heidenheim,” Schmidt said. “From a coaching perspective I simply want another focus and another level of performance from my vice-captain.” The Berlin-born Maloney has made two appearances for the United States — both in 2023.

If this is Mohamed Salah's final season at Liverpool, he is going out in style. The Egypt striker scored his 50th European goal for Liverpool and his 22nd in all competitions this season to help Arne Slot's team secure a place in the Champions League round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over Lille on Tuesday. “Hopefully (it's) not the last one,” said Salah, whose contract expires at the end of the season and has increasingly raised the prospect that this could be his last with the Merseyside club. Despite being at his brilliant best for a Liverpool team that is top of the standings in the Champions League and the Premier League, the 32-year-old Salah has just months remaining until he becomes a free agent. Negotiations Salah, who signed a three-year contract in 2022, has been free to talk to clubs outside of England from Jan. 1. He has indicated his preference is to stay at Liverpool but in recent months has used media interviews to voice his frustration over the failure to reach an agreement. Earlier his month he said there was “far away” from progress. Asked after his landmark goal against Lille if he would stay long enough to score another 50, he said: “I'm not sure about that, but I will give it my best.” What's the holdup? That isn't clear. At the age of 32, this could be Salah's last major contract and it isn’t known how much money he would want to remain at Anfield, where he has established himself as a club icon after winning a full set of trophies including the Champions League and the Premier League since joining from Roma in 2017. Read: Champions League kicks off in January with a crucial PSG vs. Man City clash There are potential risks to giving long-term contracts to players in their 30s. But there is no sign of Salah's standards dipping. He has been pivotal to Liverpool’s success this season and is currently leading the scoring charts in the Premier League ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland. With his goal against Lille, he became the first Liverpool player to score 50 in Europe competitions. What does Arne Slot say? It feels like the Liverpool manager has constantly had to field questions about the future of his star player. After Salah's latest moment of brilliance — sweeping a shot past Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier to put Liverpool 1-0 up in the 34th minute — Slot piled more praise on his striker. “Special, I think is the word that describes Mo's performance at this club the best — or maybe there are even better words to use, but he’s been outstanding for this club for so many years.” What are his options? Salah can talk to teams outside of England and was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent years. Read more: Mbappé puts on a show again with 2 goals as Real Madrid beats Las Palmas 4-1 As a free agent, he would likely have many suitors among Europe's biggest clubs. Contract headaches Salah is not the only Liverpool star with an expiring contract. Captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also in the final months of their deals.

Rahmatganj MFS and Dhaka Abahani Limited maintained all–win run to reach the qualifiers stage of the Federation Cup Football 2024-25 from Group B with one match to spare outplaying their respective rivals at two separate venues across the country on Tuesday. Group B leader Rahmatganj MFS outplayed bottom-placed Chittagong Abahani Ltd  by 3-0 goal at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh Tuesday afternoon. Egyptian midfielder Mostafa Mahmoud scored first for the old Dhaka outfit Rahmantagnj in the 32nd minute (1-0) while Ghana striker Samuel Boateng further widen the Rahmatganj’s margin in the 42nd minute to lead the first half by 2-0 goals. Local forward Fahim Nur Toha confirmed the Rahmatganj’s comprehensive victory scoring the 3rd goal in the 71st minute (3-0). Chittagong Kings crush Rajshahi by 111 Runs Chittagong Abahani defender Sajon Miah got the marching order in the 38th minute after receiving a direct red card. In the day’s other match, Dhaka Abahani Limited beat lowly Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool also by the same margin at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla Tuesday afternoon. After a barren first half, Abahani Limited  earned a comfortable victory scoring three goals in a row within just six minutes. Abahani got spot kick in the 65th minute when their onrushing Enamul Gazi was roughly tackled by Youngmen’s defender in the danger zone and Abahani defender Yeasin Khan did no mistake to convert  a penalty (1-0), Another defender Hasan Murad doubled the Abahani margin just three minutes later (2-0) while midfielder Mahadi Yousuf Khan sealed the fate of the match scoring the 3rd goal for Abahani Ltd in the 71st minutes (3-0).     Fed Cup Football: Dhaka Abahani to play Youngmen’s Club, Rahmatganj MFS to face Chittagong Abahani on Tuesday Both Rahmatganj MFS and Dhaka Abahani Limited, which earlier confirmed the qualifier stage with two matches to spare, now top the group list securing full nine points each from straight three matches, will meet each other in the last group match to decide the Group B champions. However, Rahmatganj MFS top the list with better goal differences and Dhaka Abahani are in the 2nd slot due to poor goal differences. Dhaka Mohammedan SC collected three points from three matches to eliminate from the race with one win and two defeats. Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool earned one point from two matches while Chittagong Abahani Ltd also bagged one point playing three matches to eliminate from the meet. In Group A, Fortis FC topped the group list securing seven points from all the four group matches with two wins, one draw and one defeat while defending champions Bashundhara Kings, Brothers Union Club and Bangladesh Police FC are still in the race securing six, six and four points respectively, playing three matches each.

The first Champions League games to be played in January include one with shocking possible consequences in an unpredictable debut season for the 36-team format. Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City on Wednesday is a clash of super-wealthy state-backed teams currently a barely believable 25th and 22nd in the standings. If the 2020 beaten finalist and 2023 champion play to a draw at Parc des Princes, both could start the 18-game final round on Jan. 29 outside the top-24 places that qualify for the knockout stage. The new format that replaced the traditional groups — now with eight games instead of six, facing eight different opponents, and two in January — is unknown territory even for UEFA, whose preseason prediction that eight points should ensure advancing likely will fall short. However, few imagined what would play out in the first six rounds. Man City and PSG have struggled, Real Madrid has lost half its games in 20th place despite adding Kylian Mbappé to a title-winning team, and lowest-ranked debutant Brest has cruised to four wins and seventh in the standings, just ahead of Lille. “It would have been impossible to list these eight clubs as being in the top eight positions,” Giorgio Marchetti, the UEFA deputy general secretary, told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “There is a lot of new fresh air.” “I think the format has an impact,” Marchetti said, pointing to comments by Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi that it is more difficult to prepare for eight different opponents instead of three. “It is more of a challenge.” Which positions are teams playing for? The top eight in the standings on Jan. 29 advance directly to the round of 16 that starts in March. They will likely include current leader Liverpool and second-place Barcelona which are the only two teams already certain to finish in the top 24. Liverpool is the only team to win all six games. Teams placed from ninth to 24th go into the new knockout playoffs round. Nos. 9-16 will be seeded in the draw on Jan. 31 and will play the second leg at home. Teams placing 17 to 24 host the first legs. Nos. 25-36 in the standings are eliminated and do not transfer to the Europa League. Already out are Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys which each lost all six games. Tuesday games Liverpool hosts Lille and Barcelona is at 15th-place Benfica. Atletico Madrid in 11th place can rise above visiting Bayer Leverkusen, which is in fourth place with just one point more. Aston Villa, the 1982 European Cup winner, can qualify for the round of 16 with a win at 16th-place Monaco. Stuttgart, in 26th place, is favored to win at Slovan and move to 10 points, which would put pressure on PSG and Man City. Wednesday games Real Madrid hosts struggling Salzburg, and third-place Arsenal can secure its round of 16 entry — and do Man City a favor — by winning at home against 24th-place Dinamo Zagreb. Sixth-place Inter Milan goes to Sparta Prague, and Bayern Munich, in a surprising 10th place with 12 points, travels to Feyenoord which is 18th with 10 points. Brest goes to Schalke’s stadium in neutral Germany to face Shakhtar Donetsk, which has four points and likely must win to stay in contention. Why is the Champions League playing in January? For the money, mostly. The most influential clubs wanted a bigger and more lucrative Champions League and got two extra midweek matches for all. The congested calendar for soccer left few options. Historically, European club competitions took a midwinter break until March. Then February was occupied in 2001 by the Champions League when a new format with a second group stage started. February stayed on the calendar when the round of 16 started in 2004, and for the next two decades. So when UEFA decided in 2022 on this eight-game league phase, January was needed even though some leagues in Nordic countries do not start until March, and others are still on midwinter breaks. Austrian champion Sturm Graz, which plays at Atalanta on Tuesday, has not played a domestic game since Dec. 7 and will not resume until Feb. 1.

With Kylian Mbappé putting on a show again, Real Madrid returned to the top of the Spanish league. Mbappé continued his scoring streak with a brace as Madrid routed 10-man Las Palmas 4-1 on Sunday, prompting a big ovation at Santiago Bernabeu stadium for the France star who has struggled at times in his first season with the Spanish powerhouse. “It’s always a dream to get a standing ovation at this stadium,” Mbappé said. "I’m really happy, I’ve adapted to the team and I can play the way I want to. Everyone enjoys the team’s game. All the Real Madrid players are leaders because it’s the best team in the world. We have to be united because we have to win a lot of things. You always have to win at Real Madrid.” Mbappé now has scored four goals in his last four matches with Madrid. Brahim Díaz and Rodrygo also scored for Madrid as it overtook Atletico Madrid to begin the second half of the league season. Madrid is two points ahead of city rival Atletico, which on Saturday saw its record 15-game winning streak end in a 1-0 loss to Leganes. Madrid opened a seven-point lead over third-placed Barcelona, which drew 1-1 at Getafe on Saturday. “It was an important match for us," Mbappé said. "We knew what happened yesterday with Atletico’s defeat and Barcelona’s draw and we wanted to get the win. We started badly because we conceded an early goal, but the team’s reaction was outstanding. We looked for space and played fast and with quality.” It was the second straight victory for Madrid after an embarrassing 5-2 loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 12. Read: Messi scores goal as Inter Miami opens preseason play with friendly win over Club America After Rodrygo was fouled, Mbappé converted an 18th-minute penalty kick on Sunday after the visitors had taken the lead through Fábio Silva one minute into the match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Díaz put Madrid ahead in the 33rd and Mbappé added his second goal in the 36th after an assist by Rodrygo. Rodrygo scored his third goal in three matches in the 57th. Mbappé thought he had scored a hat trick near the end of the first half but his goal was disallowed for offside. He also hit the woodwork in first-half stoppage time. Jude Bellingham had a goal disallowed after video review in the second half. “Mbappé’s great form is helping us a lot," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "Our work today was very good. We managed to get the right balance to handle the good moments and the difficult ones.” Read more: Man City striker Erling Haaland signs new contract until 2034 Las Palmas, sitting in 14th place and enduring a three-game losing streak across all competitions, had Benito Ramírez sent off for a high kick in the 64th. He initially was shown a yellow card but video review determined he deserved a red card. Defender David Alaba made his return to action after a long knee-injury layoff in the 77th. He hadn't played since December 2023. Madrid was without forward Vinícius Júnior because of a suspension. President Pérez As the only candidate, Florentino Pérez was reelected Madrid president on Sunday, securing his control of the club until 2029. Other results Earlier Sunday, fourth-place Athletic Bilbao won 2-1 at 13th-place Celta Vigo, while ninth-place Rayo Vallecano drew 1-1 at 10th-place Osasuna. Valencia moved out of last place by beating Real Sociedad 1-0 at home for its first league win since November.

Lionel Messi scored a goal and made his presence known throughout the first half as Inter Miami beat Mexican superpower Club America 3-2 on penalty kicks after the teams played to a 2-2 deadlock in regulation on Saturday night. Messi's goal came on a header in the 34th minute, taking a pass from Luis Suarez to even the match at 1-1. Fans soon broke into a Messi chant, but they were quickly booed out by the pro-Club America crowd. That goal came 12 minutes after Messi shook his head in disbelief after overshooting the goal from nearly point blank. Messi also drew two free kicks in the opening half. He played the first 21 minutes of the second half before being substituted out. It was Inter Miami's first match of the of the exhibition season, the first of five that also will take place in Central and South America. The team's regular season doesn't begin until Feb. 22 against Sporting Kansas City. Inter Miami hoped the friendly against the team from Mexico City was a good early test under new coach Javier Mascherano, Messi's longtime Argentinian national club teammate. Read: Man City striker Erling Haaland signs new contract until 2034 Club America is the three-time defending LIGA MX champion and a 15-time winner overall, the most in the league. Much attention this MLS season will be on whether this is the last for the 37-year-old Messi, considered by many as soccer's greatest player ever. His contract expires after this season, and even at an advanced age by professional sports' standards, Messi is the best player in MLS and the one who draws the most attention. The former Barcelona star is the reigning MVP after getting 20 goals and 16 assists in 19 matches last season. He has 21 goals and 18 assists in 25 games since joining Inter Miami. Henry Martin gave Club America a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute of the first half before Messi responded three minutes later. Israel Reyes' shot from the box following a corner give put Club America back on top at 2-1 seven minutes into the second half. Inter Miami tied the game two minutes into stoppage time on Tomas Aviles' header off a corner kick to set up the club's win on penalty kicks.

Six-time champions Dhaka Abahani Limited comfortably maintained their second slot intact in the 10-team Bashundhara Group Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football, beating their nearest rivals Rahmatganj MFS by a solitary goal at the Bir Shreshtho Fl Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj on Saturday. With the day’s feat, Abahan further consolidated their second slot, securing 19 points from eight matches, while the Old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS went down to 3rd place with their previous credit of 15 points from eight league outings. This was the sixth victory for foreign players—less Maruful Haque’s Dhaka Abahani Ltd—in their eighth league match after conceding only one goal in the league, losing to league leader Dhaka Mohammedan SC by a 0-1 goal. They played a goalless draw with Fortis FC in the remaining league match. The second slot of Abahani Limited in the ongoing league will not be disturbed despite their losing the remaining first leg match against Brothers Union Club. After barren first, unmarked defender Shakil Hossain scored the match-winning goal for the sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani Limited in the 68th minute utilising a lapse of the opponent defender, off of Asaduzzaman Bablu’s cross (1-0). Abahani got a penalty in the 71st minute when Rahmatganj’s defender Tajuddin fouled onrushing Mahadi in the danger zone, but Abahani forward Mohammad Ibrahim spoilt a golden opportunity, sending the spot-kick ball outside. In the added time of the match, Abahani custodian Mahfuz Hasan Pritom and Rahmatganj’s Ghanaian medio Mahmud Oshie were cautioned with yellow cards for being involved in a clash. In the day’s other match, defending champions Bashundhara Kings played a 1-1 draw with Fortis FC at the Bashundhara Kings Arena Saturday evening. Defender Topu Barman put Bashundhara Kings ahead in the 11th minute (1-0), while Mohammad Abdullah levelled the margin for Fortis FC in the 63rd minute (1-1). After the 8th round matches, Dhaka Mohammedan SC Ltd comfortably dominated the league with an all-win record as the lone team collecting a full 24 points from straight eight matches. On completion of the 8th round matches, defending champions Basundhara Kings remained at the 4th slot in the league, securing 14 points, while Brothers Union Club also remained at the 5th slot, also bagging 14 points.

Erling Haaland has signed a new contract at Manchester City that ties him to the Premier League champions until 2034. City announced the new 9½-year deal on Friday for the 24-year-old Haaland, who has scored 111 goals in 125 games since joining the club from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 to establish himself as one of the best strikers in the world. “Now I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward,” Haaland said in a City statement. The Norway striker will be turning age 34 when the contract expires. The Athletic reported that the deal removed release clauses that were in his previous deal, which was due to expire in June 2027. “Everyone at the club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract,” said Txiki Begiristain, City’s outgoing director of football. “The fact he is signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player, and his love of this club.” The new deal for Haaland comes as City awaits a verdict after being charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. “Now I am City no matter what,” Haaland said. It kickstarts what looks like being a busy few weeks for City, which is expected to buy multiple players with the team enduring its worst season since Pep Guardiola joined as manager in 2016. City is sixth in the Premier League after 21 games of a title defense that has been derailed by injuries to key players and a dip in form of others. Guardiola's team isn't even sure of advancing to the knockout stage of the Champions League, either. City has been linked with signing striker Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt and young defenders Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens and Vitor Reis from Palmeiras. They would reportedly cost more than $150 million. “I am really confident that we will turn things around," Haaland said. "Things have been difficult as we are so used to winning games, but also it is a challenge for us. "To get this feeling of hunger inside every single one of us to not look at things easier. Don’t take things for granted, that is an important thing. I will do everything I can to change things around.” Haaland scored 52 goals in all competitions in his first season with City, including a single-season record 36 in the Premier League. He scored 38 goals in 45 appearances last season and has 21 goals already in this campaign.