MANCHESTER: Manchester United have launched an investigation into how players’ boots were lost on the way to their Women’s Champions League qualifier in Norway, forcing them to scramble for new ones.
The Red Devils had to buy a number of replacement boots and shin pads from a local shop hours before the first leg of their tie at SK Brann on Thursday, which they lost 1-0.
Shop owner Andre Gullord told the BBC that the club had spent several thousand pounds.
“We are a big store but they were very lucky we had enough boots in stock that were the right size,” Gullord said. “They paid between £200 ($270) and £230 for each pair and £30 for the shin guards.
“We have had the odd player come in because they have left their boots behind but never the entire team.”
Midfielder Lisa Naalsund, who is from Bergen, where SK Brann are based, told Norwegian TV that she had asked her mother to bring some boots to the stadium for her.
“A bag containing some of our players’ boots went missing during the journey to Bergen,” said a United spokesman.
“We are investigating how this happened. In the meantime, we have secured new boots for all the affected players.”
United will hope to turn the tie around in next week’s second leg as they seek to reach the group stages of the Women’s Champions League for the first time.
Man Utd probe mystery of missing boots
https://arab.news/4ax68
Man Utd probe mystery of missing boots
- The Red Devils had to buy a number of replacement boots and shin pads from a local shop
- Shop owner Andre Gullord told the BBC that the club had spent several thousand pounds
Pakistan to tour Bangladesh for ODI series in March as bilateral ties warm
- Pakistan cricket team will play three matches in Dhaka from March 11-15
- Tour comes weeks after cricket dispute over Bangladesh’s World Cup exit
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will tour Bangladesh next month for a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday, in what will be the team’s second visit since relations between the two countries began to improve in 2024.
The two sides have also developed closer cricketing relations, with Pakistan briefly threatening to boycott its Twenty20 World Cup match against India in Colombo, saying it wanted to highlight what it described as unfair treatment of Bangladesh after the International Cricket Council removed Dhaka from the tournament schedule over security concerns.
Pakistan later reversed its decision after negotiations, with cricket officials saying Bangladesh’s concerns had been acknowledged.
“Pakistan will arrive in Bangladesh on Monday, 9 March and will undergo a training session on Tuesday, 10 March, ahead of the opening ODI against the hosts at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Dhaka on Wednesday, 11 March,” the PCB said.
The second ODI will be played on Friday, 13 March, while the third and final match of the series is scheduled for Sunday, 15 March.
All three matches will take place at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
The series comes amid a broader thaw in diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations, which were part of the same country until Bangladesh’s secession following a bloody civil war in 1971, an event that long cast a shadow over relations.
Relations have warmed since August 2024, after the ouster of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was widely viewed as close to India.
Cricket has often reflected political currents in South Asia.
“This will be Pakistan’s second tour of Bangladesh since July 2025,” the PCB said. “Pakistan last toured Bangladesh for a three-match T20I series in July, which the hosts won 2-1.”
“Bangladesh, meanwhile, toured Pakistan for a three-match T20I series in May/June last year, which [the] Salman Ali Agha-led side won 3-0,” it added.
