mbappe: Will Mbappe and Neymar flourish together this season for PSG?

Kylian Mbappe will be the center of attention as Paris Saint-Germain aim to continue their perfect start to the season in their trip to Lille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Mbappe’s every gesture will be scrutinized and every move analyzed after the World Cup winner’s attitude made headlines for the wrong reasons in his first appearance of the season last weekend.

The first two games, in league one, due to suspension and then injury, the France striker made a comeback and registered a 5–2 win over Montpellier.

He nevertheless saved a penalty and then appeared to try unsuccessfully to persuade Neymar to deliver the ball when PSG was awarded another spot-kick.

In what was his first competitive game since confirmation last season that he was staying in Paris instead of joining Real Madrid, Mbappe cut a dismayed, sad and even isolated man .

This has raised doubts in France that Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi can flourish together.

Last season, Mbappe was PSG’s outstanding performance, scoring 39 goals in all competitions, while Neymar and Messi struggled for form and fitness.

Yet the two South Americans are looking fresh this season, with the Brazilian in particular scoring five goals in three matches.

“He is really happy,” said Neymar midfielder Marco Verratti, who insisted last month that he wanted to stay at Paris, amid speculation the club was looking to sell.

“I think the players that we have, when you see they are happy, they pass it on to everybody.

“We need these players if we want to be one of the strongest teams in the world. He’s off to a great start to the season.”

Yet last weekend Mbappe did not look happy, although he was defended by his coach Christophe Gaultier, who insisted the striker was not yet fully fit.

“He is a top-class player with a personality and character. Everyone expresses himself in his own way,” Gaultier said.

Sunday’s game sees Gaultier back at Lille, the club that won the title in 2021 before leaving to spend a season in Nice.

Originally published at Pen 18

Christy Martin, credited with legitimising female boxing, secretly lived a tortured life

Christy Martin poured a cup of sweet tea and a Sprite on her tab at Second Street station on a recent afternoon. She only had a $100 bill and didn’t want to bother the waitress by asking her to break it. The restaurant knew Martin’s was good for it. Everyone knows him in this former mining town. Martin, 54, is credited with legalizing women’s boxing in the modern era. The first female boxer to make the cover of Sports Illustrated, she remained undefeated for a decade, achieving success but secretly living a tortured life.

It was her second experience of fame—a terrifying, almost fatal one—that finally set her free. Martin first fought in the West Virginia “Tuffman” competition in 1987, the first year women were allowed to compete. She had never participated in a professional fight, never went to a boxing gym or wore gloves, but she was a star basketball player in high school and college and decided to give it a shot. Martin easily won the competition. She continued to train and compete, and in 1991 teamed up with a trainer named Jim Martin. A year later he proposed marriage. Soon, boxing promoter Don King called and put Martin on his card.

“I had no road map, I had no way,” she said. “I just kept fighting. I kept growing.” In 1996, she defeated Deirdre Gogarty in a well-received bout that was broadcast on Showtime, giving new credibility to women’s boxing. Her Sports Illustrated cover sold out worldwide. As she was walking down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, her new position began to sink in.

“It’s nothing but real stars out there, whether it’s athletes or actors – real stars – and I’m walking by a Versace store and these guys working there come across the street and ask for my autograph,” she said. “It was crazy for me.”

But she never got comfortable with fame. During an interview at Mullens’ restaurant, he shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably at the thought. “I still don’t see if I was famous or I am – I’m not,” she said. This is partly because her husband, Jim Martin, never gave her a chance to believe in his success. “They told me that the boxing world hates me, that my family hates me, that I have no fans,” she said. “Athletes have huge egos, but they are fragile. And it didn’t take me long to break that.”

Emotional, financial and sometimes physical abuse continued for 20 years. As her career progressed, so did her threats of violence and separation. The boxing ring gave comfort. “You can be aggressive, you can be strong, you can be all those things, you know, a winner,” Christy Martin said.

“That’s where I could be me. Outside is where I was beaten up, even though I faked it and tried to make people think I was so self-confident.” Jim Martin with his biggest secrets One threatened to share: She was gay. He told her about his sexuality when they first started working together, but she chose to ignore it for most of their relationship.

By 2010, his career was coming to an end and his marriage was over. She was reunited with an ex-girlfriend and decided to leave her husband. One day, she lay down to take a nap at their home in Tampa, Florida, when she heard Jim Martin sharpen his knife. He overheard her on the phone saying that he was a lesbian and she was leaving him for a woman. He then went into the bedroom and stabbed her several times, including in her chest and legs, shot her in the chest with her own pink-handed 9mm Glock. “He left me to die,” said Christy Martin.

When he got into the shower, she somehow got up and stumbled outside, having managed to flag a passing car. A stranger took her to the hospital. Quickly, she went from being a famous boxer to a well-known title. But when her fame changed, she changed for the better.

“Jim reassured me that if the world found out I was gay, I would lose everything, and in fact the opposite happened,” Christy Martin said. “I’m comfortable with my skin. I don’t need to hide. I am whoever I am.” In 2012, Jim Martin was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Christie Martin finished her career with 49 wins, seven losses and three draws, with 31 wins by knockout, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020. In 2017, he married a former sparring partner, Lisa Hollewine. Martin has a boxing promotion company that he runs out of Austin, Texas. In most incidents, she reaches out to local domestic violence shelters. And every November 23, the date of the attack, she calls the stranger who saved her.

In 2016, a West Virginia teacher told Martin that one of his eighth graders had chosen him for his state’s history project. “In 200 years, out of all kinds of people, he chose me,” said Martin, still puzzled. “I was very touched.” Martin spoke to the student and later visited his class. “That’s part of the fame that means something,” she said.

Originally published at Pen 18

zimbabwe: All-round India down Zimbabwe by five wickets in second ODI, clinch series 2-0

Top innings from Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan propelled Team India with world-class bowling to beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in the second ODI of the three-match series in Harare on Saturday.

With this win, India have taken a 2-0 lead in the series and captured it with one match.

The day was not a memorable one for Zimbabwe as they failed miserably as a batting unit. Although Luke Jongwe gave Team India a small scare during the chase with two quick wickets, the hosts don’t have much positivity to go away. Samson (43*), Gill and Dhawan (33-33) played some good innings for India.

Chasing 162 runs, India got off to a poor start. KL Rahul could not do much on his return, scoring only one run in five balls, Viktor Nyuchi took him leg before wicket. India were at 5/1 this time.

Then Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill took the innings forward by staying on the scoreboard for a while. Both the batsmen made some excellent shots which reached the fence. His 42-run stand was broken when Dhawan was caught for 33 by Innocent Kaya at square leg off Tanaka Chiwanga.

Then Gill and Ishaan Kishan continued to chase. Gill remained aggressive throughout the innings while Kishan didn’t make any major strikes. At the end of 10 overs, India were 75/2, with Gill (33*) and Ishan Kishan (4*) at the crease.

The 36-run stand between the two was broken after Kishan when medium pacer Luke Jongwe removed his stumps. India currently on 3/83.

Jongwe produced another breakthrough for Zimbabwe, dismissing Gill for 33 when he was caught by Brad Evans at deep third man.

After these sudden setbacks, the responsibility of taking India forward was on Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson. The duo started playing an aggressive brand of cricket to help India get the last few runs.

Samson was notably more aggressive. He put up a fifty-run partnership between himself and Hooda by hitting a big six in the 23rd over.

However, Sikandar Raza gave Zimbabwe a breakthrough, albeit really late. Deepak Hooda’s stumps were removed when he was on 25 off 36 balls. Half the team of Team India returned to the pavilion for 153 runs.

The match was only a formality at this time and the pair of Axar Patel (6*) and Sanju Samson (43*) took India home, with almost half an innings and five wickets to spare. With this win, India won the series 2-0. A massive six from Samson registered India’s seventh consecutive series win against Zimbabwe.

Earlier, a scintillating performance from the world-class Indian bowling lineup bundled out Zimbabwe for 161 in just 38.1 overs in the second ODI of the three-match series in Harare on Saturday.

Sean Williams (42) and Ryan Burle (41*) were the only Indian bowlers who could contribute well for the hosts, with Shardul Thakur (3/38 in particular) feasting the batsmen and enriching any big partnership. Didn’t let it happen. ,

Batting first for India, Zimbabwe openers Takudzwanase Caetano and Innocent Kaia failed to give their team a strong start. In the ninth over of the game, Caetano was the only one to be dismissed for seven by fast bowler Mohammad Siraj after a superb diving catch by wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.

At the end of 10 overs, Zimbabwe were on 26/1 with Kaia (15*) being joined by Wesley Madhevere (0*).

Kaya was the next to score 16 as medium-pacer Shardul Thakur struck and Samson took another brilliant catch, reducing the hosts to 2/27. Regis Chakbawa (2), The

Next was about to go and Thakur got another wicket. Madhevere was also caught by Samson after he was dismissed for just two by fast bowler Pranali Krishna, putting Zimbabwe in trouble for 31/4.

Then came Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams and the scoreboard ticked for Zimbabwe. It was spinner Kuldeep Yadav who broke the 41-run stand, which looked promising after sending Raza back for 16. Ishan Kishan takes a solid catch in the backward point area. At this time half of Zimbabwe’s team had returned to the pavilion for 72 runs.

Ryan Burle and Williams were the next pair, helping their team cross the 100-run mark. Deepak Hooda with his brilliant spin dismissed Williams for 42 off 42 balls. Zimbabwe were reduced to 109/6 at this point.

Thanks to Burl and Luke Jongwe, the scoreboard for the hosts kept going for a while. In the 33rd over of the game, Thakur got the third wicket by dismissing Jongwe for 6 runs in 16 balls. Zimbabwe were currently running at sub-par 129/7.

Zimbabwe did not get enough time and overs to recover from this wicket as Brad Evans was dismissed by Axar Patel. The batsman was left with his stumps due to an inside edge while trying to catch it. The score at this time was 149/8.

The misery was not ending for Zimbabwe, as Victor Nyuchi was the next player to score just four runs after the pair of KL Rahul and Sanju Samson were run out. Zimbabwe were just one wicket away from being bundled up for another subpar score at 160/9.

The duo of Kuldeep Yadav and the famous Krishna put the final nail in the coffin of the hosts as they bundled out Zimbabwe for 161 in 38.1 overs after Tanaka Chiwanga was dismissed for 4.

Shardul Thakur was one of the bowlers for India taking 3/38. Siraj, Krishna, Kuldeep, Hooda and Axar Patel got one wicket each.

Brief scores: Zimbabwe 161 in 38.1 overs (Sean Williams 42, Ryan Burle 41*, Shardul Thakur 3/38) lost to India 167/5 in 25.4 overs (Sanju Samson 43*, Shubman Gill 33, Luke Jongwe 2/33) ).

Originally published at Pen 18

India’s star Olympic football captain Samar ‘Badru’ Banerjee dead

Former Indian football team captain Samar ‘Badru’ Banerjee, who led the country to a historic fourth place in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died here early Saturday after a prolonged illness. He was 92 years old. In Banerjee’s family, she has a daughter-in-law.

Popularly known as ‘Badru Da’, he was suffering from ailments related to Alzheimer’s, azotemia and hypertension, and was admitted to MR Bangur Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 on July 27.

Mohun Bagan secretary Debashish Dutta told PTI, “He was admitted to the Government SSKM Hospital under the supervision of State Sports Minister Arup Biswas as his health deteriorated. He breathed his last at around 2.10 pm.

“He was our dear ‘Badru Da’ and we awarded him the Mohun Bagan Ratna in 2009. This is another great loss to the ground,” he said in his condolence message.

His body was brought to the club as members and fans paid their last respects.

Indian football teams have competed in three Olympics so far, and so far, Banerjee-led 1956 team’s performance remains the best, when they finished fourth, losing 0–3 to Bulgaria in the bronze medal playoffs. which was known. The ‘Golden Age’ of football in the country.

After receiving a walkover in the first round, the Syed Abdul Rahim-coached team that also included PK Banerjee, Neville D’Souza and J ‘Kittu’ Krishnaswamy defeated Australia 4–2. D’Souza hit a hat-trick in his stunning win.

But the team failed to make the final after losing 1–4 to Yugoslavia in the last-four stage.

Besides guiding Mohun Bagan to several trophies including their first Durand Cup (1953), Rovers Cup (1955), Banerjee also won the Santosh Trophy twice as a player (1953, 1955) and once as a coach (1962). Has won. He also served India as a selector.

With his demise the ground has lost great players like PK, Chunni Goswami, Subhash Bhowmik and Surjit Sengupta in less than three years.

Born on January 30, 1930, Banerjee’s football journey began as a school-going child with a few local clubs in Bali.

His father, Shashank Shekhar Banerjee, was a strict disciplinarian and wanted him to become a doctor, enrolling him in RG Medical College.

“My father was very strict. He used to scold me a lot for ignoring my studies,” Banerjee told the Mariners’ website after being awarded the ‘Mohun Bagan Ratna’.

“But, despite this, I would go there and hear the elders talking about Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting and many other clubs in the ground. I was shunned many times, but my attention will always be there,” he added. .

At a time when there was little incentive for a player, an 18-year-old Banerjee chose to become a footballer and went on to represent Bally Protiva, a third division club in the Calcutta Football League.

Impressed by his skills, he did not look back, as he was inducted by the Bengal Nagpur Railway, then known as the BNR, which was then the nurturing ground for state football, during an excellent eight. Before leaving a mark in Mohun Bagan. year term. There he made a deadly alliance with Kesto Pal.

Banerjee won the IFA Shield in his first season with the Green-and-Maroon Brigade in a controversial final against the Rajasthan club.

He then guided the club to their first Durand Cup the following season, with his dominant strikes in the semi-finals and final.

Banerjee hit the ground again in 1954, when she secured another first with CFL and IFA Shield titles, as she cemented her place in the Indian team under coach Rahim.

In between he also toured East Africa with the club, with the likes of PK.

In 1958, he was made captain of Mohun Bagan, which ironically coincided with the club’s downward spiral, having been runners-up in the CFL, Shield and Rovers Cup.

Originally published at Pen 18

united: Manchester United is not for sale, but a piece of it might be

Manchester United is not for sale. But it is one of a kind, just like everything is for sale when the offer is high enough.

The rumors began this week with a tweet, a bad joke by a billionaire that he quickly shot himself. But almost as soon as Elon Musk left, the sharks were circling.

A British billionaire, Jim Ratcliffe, was off the block earlier, asking if he was really interested in buying the team up for sale. A US private equity firm, Apollo Global Management, was in talks to acquire a minority stake. Money won’t be a problem. Ineos president Ratcliffe is one of the richest men in the world. Apollo has about half a trillion dollars in management.

But getting lost in the whirlpool of breathless reports seemed an important caveat: Manchester United was not actually for sale.

or was it?

These may not seem like the top times of the market in the United States. The team is ranked last in England’s Premier League, the worst start to the season in more than a century. It employs a team of players who inspire more ridicule than respect. Its fans now hold weekly protests against the team’s Florida-based owners, the Glazer family. Yet, despite its struggles, nowhere on earth may there be a more coveted sports franchise than Manchester United.

This is one of the biggest teams anywhere that can be owned outright. It plays in the world’s most popular soccer league. Its reach reaches every corner of the earth. Quite simply: there are very few such powerful brands as Manchester United in any field.

But scarce assets are valued through traditional market fundamentals. United’s share price, for example — it’s listed on the New York Stock Exchange — would suggest that the club is worth $2.23 billion, well below the record $3 billion that a group led by California-based fund Clearlake said. Paid for its premiere this spring. League rival Chelsea FC.

But Chelsea are not Manchester United, not in any meaningful sense. Yes, it has been successful. Yes, it also employs some of the top players in the world. But in terms of global reach, popularity and brand power, the club does not compare with United. What Chelsea’s selling price proved, however, is that when it comes to the valuation of an elite soccer club, what’s on the balance sheet rarely matters.

Chelsea lost more than $1 million in a week under their former boss, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. It needs a new stadium and will need tens of millions more to spend each season to keep its roster competitive. Its purchase price followed a massive public auction that attracted interest from around the world.

For Manchester United, the list of suitors would be even longer, and even more public. Ratcliffe and Apollo may have been the first. They won’t be the last.

Ratcliffe’s approach is perhaps the most instructive to come. He appeared to have made no effort to contact the Glazers directly, or even to reach out to their bankers. Instead, he went straight to the news media and suggested he would be willing to buy a piece of United as well, with an eye on achieving it all one day.

“We are interested in the club, if it is for sale,” Ratcliffe spokespeople were all set to tell The New York Times on Thursday. The tactic built up a base of popular support, and a new round of abuse piled on the current owners.

For the Glazers, who have been under siege for most of their tenure, selling a minority stake may make sense. This may allow them to quell growing fan hostility – many supporters have never forgiven the Glazers for piling up debt at the formerly debt-free club in their £800 million leveraged buyout in 2005, a sort of The deal that the Premier League is now seeking is the Outlaws – while simultaneously bidding for the team’s overall valuation. That figure is almost certainly going to be higher than United’s share price.

Despite nearly a decade of poor performances, United still earn more than nearly every other team in world football. Revenue under the Glazers has tripled, reaching an all-time high of 627 million pounds ($756 million) in 2019. If Chelsea are worth $3 billion in the open market, United, due to its fame, its earning potential, and its coveted status, are far from over. More, perhaps even double, some experts argue.

Also, it is difficult to exaggerate the scale of negative sentiment towards the Glazer family among Manchester United supporters. For more than a decade, fans have rallied against him at matches and in street marches; Once, he even burnt an effigy of the family’s late patriarch, Malcolm Glazer. And when the club flirted with joining a proposed European Super League last year, United fans broke into the team’s stadium and protested on the field.

But through it all – for nearly two decades – the Glazers have hung, a rare asset as a priceless painting in many ways, thrilled to see the value of their investment skyrocket and come with a cachet. Own one of the most famous teams in the world.

It is unclear whether all six Glazer siblings, who were parceled into ownership of the team by their father when he died, share the same commitment to owning Manchester United. Brothers Joel and Avram are the most practical, directly involved in team decision making. But a partial sale can allow family members with less investment to cash in at a premium price, and leave those who are almost certain of the highest price paid for a sports franchise.

At the moment, the Glazers, as has been their custom for almost two decades, have not said a word publicly about their plans. A Manchester United spokesman declined to comment on Thursday.

And now, at least officially, Manchester United is not for sale. The Glazers Banker, a 200-year-old London-based consultant Rothschild & Co., is not actively soliciting bids. But neither was Abramovich, even as he spent years quietly directing offers that came to New York banker Joe Ravitch, who eventually sold Chelsea this spring.

There is a lot of potential for how things will turn out at Manchester United. There will come a time when the time and price will be just right for one of the most lucrative deals in the history of the sport for one of the most unpopular owners in English football history.

It has already cost Manchester United more than £1 billion for the Glazer family ownership rights – in interest, loan repayments and dividends. Most fans would consider the billions plus, this time as a final check, a price worth paying to get rid of them.

This article is originally from . appeared in
new York Times,

Originally published at Pen 18

england sa test: South Africa completes innings defeat of England in 1st test

England were given a reality check in their new era under Ben Stokes as the team lost by an innings and 12 runs to South Africa within three days in the first Test at Lord’s on Friday.

After taking a 161-run lead in the second innings, the Proteas bowled out England for 149 in 37.4 overs and went 1-0 up in the three-Test series.

Under new captain Stokes and new coach Brendon McCullum, England won the series 3–0 against New Zealand in June and beat India in a Test in July with an aggressive approach to their batting.

This did not work against South Africa and its hostile fast offensive. England lost their 20 wickets in a total of 82.4 overs in the match.

South Africa resumed the third day at 289-7 and were bowled out for 326 after an hour’s play.

England did not even make tea.

The second Test starts on Thursday in Manchester.

Originally published at Pen 18

fifa: Sports ministry writes to FIFA, requests to let Kerala FC, ATK Mohun Bagan play AFC tournaments – The Economic Times Video

The Sports Ministry has requested world football’s governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to allow Indian clubs Sri Gokulam Kerala FC and ATK Mohun Bagan to participate in the tournament, despite the AIFF’s ban. With FIFA suspending the All India Football Federation (AIFF) late on Monday night, there was chaos as the Gokulam Kerala women’s team arrived in Uzbekistan to participate in their second AFC Women’s Club Championship. The women’s team is scheduled to compete against a team from Iran on 23 August and a team from the host country in Qarshi on 26 August, while ATK Mohun Bagan is set to play the AFC Cup 2022 (inter-zone semi-final) in Bahrain on 7 September . ,

Originally published at Pen 18