Sports
Fakhar Zaman’s wicket sparks debate as Salman Ali Agha insists ball bounced – SUCH TV
Pakistan’s T20I captain Salman Ali Agha has raised concerns over the contentious dismissal of opener Fakhar Zaman during the Super Four clash of the ACC Men’s Asia T20 Cup 2025 against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference after Pakistan’s second successive defeat to India in the tournament, Agha voiced his reservations about the decision.
“I don’t know about the decision. As far as I am concerned, it looked like the ball bounced before being collected.
Obviously, it’s the umpire’s job and they can make mistakes. I have no problem with that. But to me, it did look like it bounced,” said Agha.
“I might be wrong, I don’t know. The way Fakhar was batting, if he had continued through the powerplay, we could probably have scored around 190,” he added.
The incident took place on the third delivery of the third over of Pakistan’s innings.
Fakhar Zaman attempted to drive at an off-cutter from Hardik Pandya, edging the ball towards wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.
The delivery, however, lost pace off the pitch, forcing Samson to dive forward to take the catch.
Given the close proximity of the ball to the ground at the point of collection, the on-field umpires referred the decision to the third umpire.
Fakhar, appearing confident that the ball had touched the turf, waited for the verdict.
After several replays from multiple angles, third umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge adjudged Fakhar out.
The left-hander stood momentarily in disbelief before walking back to the pavilion.
On his return, he was seen discussing the decision with head coach Mike Hesson, seemingly surprised at the outcome.
The dismissal immediately ignited debate on social media, with fans and former players criticising the umpiring standards in the high-profile encounter.
Former Pakistan cricketers Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir, and Fawad Alam were among those who strongly condemned the decision, calling it “unacceptable” in a match of such magnitude.
Meanwhile, India secured their second victory over Pakistan in the ongoing tournament.
Batting first, the green shirts posted 171-5 in 20 overs, but the men in blue successfully chased down the target in 18.5 overs with four wickets in hand, thanks to opener Abhishek Sharma’s match-winning knock of 74 off 39 balls.
For the unversed, India will face Bangladesh in their next match at the same venue on Wednesday.
Sports
College football Week 11: Penn State and Indiana in wild finish
The matchup between the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers and the Penn State Nittany Lions turned wild in the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers held a 20-10 lead before Nicholas Singleton and the Penn State offense got moving. Then IU QB, and Heisman candidate, Fernando Mendoza threw and interception that set up an incredible finish.

Sports
Chaotic Man United vs. Spurs finale another roller coaster of emotions for fans
Matthijs de Ligt extended Manchester United‘s unbeaten run to five games with a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer against Tottenham, moments after Richarlison looked to have handed Spurs a remarkable victory.
Having been booed by his own supporters for replacing Xavi Simons with Mathys Tel on 79 minutes, Spurs head coach Thomas Frank was vindicated when Tel cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo‘s first-half opener with an 84th-minute equalizer. And when Richarlison headed Spurs into the lead one minute into the six minutes of stoppage time, the home side appeared to have pulled off an incredible fightback to beat United for a fifth successive game.
But Spurs saw three points snatched out of their hands when De Ligt headed home from a corner in the 96th minute to claim a deserved point for United.
Despite the dropped points and restless home crowd, Spurs moved up to third place in the Premier League, while United maintain their push for a Champions League spot in seventh. — Ogden
Another tumultuous day for Frank
Spurs were booed off at half-time for the second weekend in a row. The full-time whistle was greeted with disbelief; the product of three late goals creating the ultimate roller coaster of emotions for all concerned.
When the dust settles, a draw in one sense may feel satisfactory. But on the other hand, conceding a 96th-minute equalizer from a set-piece to a team with 10 men will feel bitterly disappointing.
Somewhere in the midst of all this, Frank has to process another sign of dissent from the home supporters pointing to the undercurrent of concern that permeates this club at the moment. With Spurs 1-0 down, Frank opted to replaced Simons with Tel on 79 minutes; loud boos greeted the decision, ramping up pressure on the Tottenham boss as his team faced another afternoon bereft of creativity in front of goal.
And so in that context, for Tel to spin in the box and fire a deflected shot past Senne Lammens to equalize just five minutes later will have felt like a huge vindication for Frank. Persevering with Richarlison when many others may have taken him off also paid off, only for Spurs to throw away three points in stoppage time.
The end product is Spurs sit third in the table at full-time, yet Frank knows the job of convincing all connected to the club that he can thrive in the role is far from done. — Olley
Man United will miss Mbuemo and Amad Diallo when they go to AFCON
Mbeumo and Amad Diallo have become crucial members of Ruben Amorim’s forward line this season and their growing understanding was borne out again with Amad’s cross creating Mbeumo’s first-half goal.
Mbeumo has now scored six league goals for United since his £70 million summer transfer from Brentford and he has made the team much more threatening when going forward. Meanwhile, Amad has kicked on since last season by proving himself equally capable of playing on both flanks in Amorim’s 3-4-3 system.
But the bad news for United is that both players will head off to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) next month and could be away for almost six weeks. With Mbeumo representing Cameroon and Amad turning out for Ivory Coast, United can expect both players to be involved in the knockout stages, so Amorim must find a way to replace their attacking qualities at busy stage of the season.
Joshua Zirkzee has barely kicked a ball for United this season and Benjamin Sesko is still adjusting to the Premier League following his £74 million summer arrival from RB Leipzig, so Amorim has a big problem ahead unless United are prepared to add to the squad at the beginning of the January transfer window. — Ogden
Richarlison ends goal drought, but Solanke’s return is vital
This was another difficult day for Randal Kolo Muani and, for long periods, Richarlison. The Tottenham pair started together for the first time, Richarlison operating off the left with Kolo Muani through the middle in a 4-2-3-1 shape. They completed just two passes to each other and Kolo Muani left the field at half-time having touched the ball 12 times — the fewest of any player on either team.
Again, mitigation can be found in the fact that Kolo Muani arrived on loan from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day and has subsequently struggled for fitness due to a muscular problem. Richarlison was in a barren run of form but his first goal for club or country in 13 matches, an expertly-glanced header past Lammens, triggered a euphoric celebration containing more than a trace of catharsis.
De Ligt’s equalizer left Richarlison on his knees at full-time in recognition of a lead squandered, but he must hope his goal becomes a turning point.
And yet, the feeling remains that Frank’s fortunes would be improved significantly by the return of Dominic Solanke, who has not played since August after undergoing ankle surgery. There is hope he can play again after this month’s international break. Frank badly needs him not only to start but to get back up to speed as quickly as possible.– Olley
Sesko struggling, but Man United aren’t helping him
Sesko is struggling to prove his worth at Manchester United following his summer transfer and he limped out of this game with an injury having only entered the game as a 59th-minute substitute.
The 22-year-old center forward has registered just two goals and one assist for United this season, and Amorim admitted ahead of this game that the Slovenia international has found it tough to settle at Old Trafford. But while Sesko made a mess of a great chance after being released late on by midfielder Manuel Ugarte — Sesko seemed to injure himself when challenged by Spurs defender Micky van de Ven — United’s use of his talents is not helping the striker.
Rather than deliver crosses into the penalty area for the 6-foot-5 forward, United constantly forced Sesko out wide where his lack of pace and mobility saw him repeatedly lose the ball.
Sesko has his strengths and weaknesses, but United are playing to his weaknesses right now. They need to find a way to keep him playing through the middle and leave the wide areas to players who can make use of the ball — ideally those who can cross for Sesko to convert crosses into the net.
However, as Sesko limped off in the 88th minute, leaving United with just 10 players after using all of their substitutes, he cut a disconsolate figure. He clearly needs to do better, but United must also raise their game to help him. — Ogden
Is United’s youth record still valid?
Jack Fletcher’s selection as a substitute for Manchester United ensured that Amorim kept alive an incredible 88-year club record by having an academy player in the matchday squad for the 4,333rd consecutive game. An injury to Kobbie Mainoo had put the record in jeopardy until Amorim selected 18-year-old Fletcher for a place on the bench.
United have a proud history of producing their own players, from the “Busby Babes” in the 1950s to the “Class of 92” of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville. Others including Danny Welbeck, Marcus Rashford and Fletcher’s father, Darren, have helped United maintain their record over the years.
But while Fletcher is a legitimate academy graduate having played for the youth team over the past two years, he actually joined United as a 16-year-old, alongside twin brother Tyler, in a £1.25 million transfer in 2023 after spending nine years in Manchester City‘s academy.
So while United have kept their record intact, it is beginning to seem tenuous and Amorim admitted before the game that Fletcher was only selected because he wanted to keep the historical run going. When it is a record based on merit, that’s fine. But have United now reached the stage of tokenism in order to keep their record alive? — Ogden
Sports
Irish soccer federation votes to call for UEFA to suspend Israel from competition for alleged violations
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The governing body for soccer in Ireland voted Saturday to call for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel from competition.
It marks the third instance of a European soccer national governing body calling for Israel’s suspension from UEFA, joining Norway and Turkey. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has also called for Israel’s sports teams to be suspended from international competition.
The Football Association of Ireland passed the resolution, proposed by Irish club Bohemians, with more than 50% of its delegates supporting it.
The proposal cited two alleged violations of UEFA statutes by the Israel Football Association (IFA). The first is “organizing clubs in occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian FA” and the second is “the alleged failure of the IFA to enforce an effective anti-racism policy.”
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Israeli soccer fans wave flags as Israel warms up prior to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers Europe zone Oct. 11, in Oslo, Norway. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)
The Irish body also said in a statement it would “call on UEFA to publish transparent criteria for the suspension or exclusion of member associations to ensure equal treatment of all members.”.
Israel’s national team is scheduled to complete its World Cup-qualifying campaign with a match against Moldova Nov. 16. The team is third in its group and cannot finish first to qualify automatically for next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, or even second to get into the playoffs.
But growing global opposition against Israeli sports teams has put its athletes and fans in disadvantaged positions in 2025.
The UEFA was reportedly moving toward a vote to suspend Israel over the war in Gaza in September, but the motion was put on pause. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced no action would be taken against the team on Oct. 3, after a historic peace proposal by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, even after the peace proposal, Israeli sports teams have faced opposition and exclusion.
Israel’s national gymnastics team was denied visas to enter Indonesia for the World Gymnastics Championships in October.
The Indonesian government cited security and safety concerns for denying the visas, but an Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that the country’s security team gave clearance to its athletes.
“We received authorization from the Israeli Security Authorities to participate in the World Championship subject to the necessary security protocols in place. From our side, all preparations were complete — registration process, entry visas to Indonesia and Israeli Security Authorities confirmation,” the IGF said.
Israeli men’s gymnast Eyal Indig called Indonesia’s decision “a blatant incident of discrimination on the basis of nationality” in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The Indonesian Embassy in the U.S. responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, saying, “The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia has no further comment to share on this matter.”
In England, fans of the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from attending the team’s recent match against Aston Villa in the U.K. this week, also for safety concerns. Maccabi Tel Aviv FC supporters were reportedly the target of violence in Amsterdam before and during the soccer team’s match against Ajax last year.
However, unrest still broke out at the game on Thursday, with anti-Israel protesters in the vicinity.
British police said six people were arrested Thursday ahead of the Israeli team’s match against Aston Villa in a Europa League match.
About 200 protesters gathered near a park near Aston Villa Park’s Trinity Road stand. These protesters included members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, per The Associated Press. Some pro-Israel protesters were also present.
Meanwhile, the Israeli cycling team, Israel-Premier Tech (IPT), lost its top sponsor despite honoring the sponsor’s request to remove the word “Israel” from the team name.
The Canadian company Premier Tech announced it would be ending its partnership with the team in a statement released Friday.
“After multiple discussions with the team and careful assessment of all relevant circumstances, Premier Tech has decided to step down as co-title sponsor of the team taking effect immediately,” the statement said.
“Although we took notice of the team’s decision to change its name for the 2026 season, the core reason for Premier Tech to sponsor the team has been overshadowed to a point where it has become untenable for us to continue as a sponsor.”
In September, after agreeing to drop “Israel” from its name, the team said it “expects the team to evolve towards a new name excluding ‘Israel,’ leading to a new identity and branding.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to IPT for comment.
The team was excluded from an October race in Italy, the Giro dell’Emilia, because of concerns over potentially disruptive pro-Palestine protests.
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Organizers made the decision after protesters repeatedly disrupted the recent Spanish Vuelta in the presence of Israel-Premier Tech.
Seven of the past 11 days of racing at the Vuelta were cut short or interrupted because Spain’s government estimated more than 100,000 people were on the streets in Madrid during the final stage in September.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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