The second French footballer after Benzema to win the Ballon d’Or says the award also belongs to his club

Paris Saint-Germain’s France international Ousmane Dembele became the second French footballer after Karim Benzema to have won the Ballon d’Or on Monday in Paris. After receiving the award, the 28-year-old striker admitted that he could not control his tears while speaking to his family members after being named the world’s best footballer. “I didn’t want to cry, but as soon as I started talking about my family, about the people who have been there for me, it came up and I couldn’t hold it back,” Dembele told Reuters after beating Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal to the prize. “It was never a personal objective. On an individual level, having a trophy like this is magnificent. But when it happens, of course, you’re happy, you’re delighted,” he added. Asked whether the accolade was the “people’s Ballon d’Or”, a description once used by Benzema, Dembele replied, “Benzema is the people’s Ballon d’Or, the first one, and I am the second.” Dembele, who has an amazing record of scoring 35 goals in 53 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain so far, insisted the award also belonged to his club. “Yes, of course, it’s for the team. For all the people who are fans of me, all the Parisian supporters, the whole club, the staff, and the players,” he said. The striker revealed that he would be returning to the field soon. He is in the process of recovering from an injury that has sidelined him in recent weeks.

Shahid Afridi makes explosive comments, questioning the umpire’s integrity over Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi launched a scathing attack on the umpire who gave out to Fakhar Zaman against the bowling of Hardik Pandya in Sunday’s Super-four match of the Asia Cup in Dubai. Zaman was given out caught behind on the bowling of Hardik Pandya. The decision was initially made by the on-field umpire and then referred to the third umpire for review. Afridi suggested on a Pakistani TV channel that the umpire was biased towards India, implying the umpire had aspirations to officiate in the Indian Premier League. The caught-behind decision was reviewed by the third umpire, who checked a few slow-motion replays before upholding the call in India’s favour. After returning to the dressing room, Zaman expressed his displeasure at the third umpire’s decision. Afridi, sharing his view, stated that he believed the Pakistan opener was not out. “He has to umpire in the IPL too,” Afridi said on Samma TV, suggesting that the umpire was biased towards India. Former Pakistan batter Mohamamd Yusuf, who was also a part of the panel discussion, echoed Afridi’s sentiments. “They didn’t even check many angles. Fakhar had hit three fours and handled Bumrah with ease in the first over. His wicket was crucial for India,” Yusuf asserted. Earlier, even Pakistan pace great Shoaib Akhtar had termed the third umpire’s call to give Fakhar out, the ‘wrong’ one. “Fakhar wasn’t out. With 26 cameras available, why did the third umpire only check two angles? If Fakhar had stayed, the match might have turned,” he had said.

Jersey Vendors want More Matches at East Bengal ground to Avoid Financial Misery

Pratyusha Jana: As the rejuvenation of East Bengal’s second win this year seeped into the fans’ blood and veins, another part of the coin lies with hope and terror! East Bengal has successfully shielded the home ground glory in CFL, winning against United Sports Club by 2-1. While the champions have regained their eminence on the field, off the field the jersey vendors don’t feel the same. While talking to a few of them, it was an unmistakable fact that their merchandise business has taken a big blow after East Bengal shifted the ground. East Bengal barely had two matches on their home ground; the secret sufferers took the blow for it. While talking to Samiran Barui, a new Barrackpore resident ruefully stated, “Today, I have barely sold five of the jerseys and very few other things like caps and badges.” While it’s a happy festival for the brigade, the matches being shifted to different grounds is not good news for Bapi Halder, another businessman. He stated, “We used to have a very good sell during these matches, but now barely a few get sold. We certainly need more matches on the home ground again.” While speaking about their merchandise, they expressed clear frustration over the situation. “We have a huge collection of jerseys and other items just lying in our stockroom,” they said. “Unfortunately, these products have been sitting there for so long that many of them have lost their original charm and quality. Jerseys that were once crisp and vibrant now look a little faded. It’s disappointing because we had high hopes for these items; however, as the matches shifted, it barely made us any profit; rather, we lost so many.” The plea was so simple yet pointed to the glaring variety that the glory should return to home ground. A match, a tournament, a shield, and a trophy are not just closely associated with the field; they percolate to the people off the field. With their decorative vision, crisp jerseys lying around, scarves with red and yellow passion, batches of pride and an unhinged dreamer, uncomplicatedly chimed that, “There should be more games on the home ground. If possible after the CFL, the IFA Shield matches should be played in East Bengal ground.” Needless to say, the red and yellow brigadiers steadily surrounded the vendors; among the loud cheering, the ringing slogans and the bargaining, the voices of Bapi and Samaresh faded, but the dreams and hope shone clearly, taking the colour of red and yellow.