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Sabbir Hossain

WC superstitions.jpg

51 Days To Go / Beyond the beautiful game: The bizarre beliefs that rule the World Cup

1 hour(s) ago
What may appear amusing or irrational to the casual observer often serves as a talisman of success for players and devoted fans alike. Superstition, in that sense, has become an inseparable thread in football’s aesthetic fabric.
1 hour(s) ago
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53 Days To Go / Grit, bravery, and a medal for the doctor

19 April 2026, 17:26 PM
June 21, 1970. The galleries of the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City roared like a sea of yellow and blue. Brazil, having torn apart Italy’s resolute defense, could already smell victory. The scoreboard read 3-1 in favor of the Selecao. There were still 20 minutes left on the clock in the final.
19 April 2026, 17:26 PM
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55 Days To Go / Colombia: The only host to say no to the World Cup

17 April 2026, 13:14 PM
In the end, FIFA handed the responsibility to Mexico in 1983.
17 April 2026, 13:14 PM
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57 Days To Go / When a prince stopped play: The World Cup’s most bizarre intervention

15 April 2026, 11:33 AM
But what happened at the 1982 World Cup in Spain goes far beyond mere drama -- it was one of the most bizarre, unprecedented, and controversial episodes in football history, where a country’s prince walked onto the pitch to influence a referee’s decision.
15 April 2026, 11:33 AM
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61 Days To Go / A star is born: When 18-year-old Messi dazzled

11 April 2026, 13:30 PM
The summer of 2006 in Germany was a time of transition. The reign of the nineties legends was drawing to a close, and world football was searching for a new icon. In Argentina, this search had been an obsession ever since the 1986 World Cup triumph. They were not simply waiting for a footballer -- they were waiting for a saviour in the mould of Diego Maradona.
11 April 2026, 13:30 PM
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65 Days To Go / The debutants’ hall of fame: When first-timers showed what they’re made of

7 April 2026, 13:15 PM
Stepping onto the stage of the FIFA World Cup is a lifelong dream; to arrive for the first time and leave the world astonished is nothing short of heroic.
7 April 2026, 13:15 PM
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67 days to go / Battle for the golden trophy: All you need to know

5 April 2026, 12:50 PM
Although 22 editions of the World Cup have taken place, 21 finals have been held. There was no final match in the 1950 edition
5 April 2026, 12:50 PM
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71 Days To Go / 16 yellows, 4 reds: The chaos of the iconic 'Battle of Nuremberg'

1 April 2026, 15:00 PM
Football is often called the beautiful game. But what unfolded on that night in 2006 at the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg, (now the Max-Morlock-Stadion) could hardly be described as beautiful.
1 April 2026, 15:00 PM
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The story behind Gazzaniga's iconic World Cup trophy

Designers from seven countries submitted 53 proposals. The winning concept came from Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga.
30 March 2026, 06:45 AM
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Stolen crown and a four-legged hero

Football has seen many legends, but the way a dog from South London became part of the game's greatest drama remains a truly unique story.
28 March 2026, 10:23 AM
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Five stars: Brazil’s World Cup triumphs

No country has been more successful on the world stage than Brazil. From 1958 to 2002, the Selecao authored an epic of five world titles, with each chapter standing as a unique testament to footballing greatness.
20 March 2026, 15:40 PM
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When underdogs rewrite history

Does the World Cup belong only to the big teams and superstar footballers? A glance through history suggests that the real drama often lies with sides that arrive with limited expectations -- or none at all.
18 March 2026, 13:00 PM
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From traffic signals to the World Cup

Those two simple pieces of paper marked the beginning of a new era in football. The remarkably simple invention proved to be a magical solution.
16 March 2026, 12:55 PM
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Italy’s world triumph at a stadium lost to time

Today, there is no trace of the Stadio Nazionale del PNF (National Stadium of the National Fascist Party) on the map of Rome. Built in 1911, the stadium was permanently closed in 1953 and later completely demolished. Yet, if one brushes off the dust of history, it becomes clear that it was on this now-vanished ground that the story of Italy’s first world triumph was written.
14 March 2026, 09:41 AM
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[PART 1] World Cup goal wonders: From an 11-second storm to a 13-goal epic

From 1930 to 2022, a total of 2,720 goals have been scored in 964 matches across 22 editions of the FIFA World Cup. Yet among those thousands of strikes, some are far more than mere statistics – they are enduring stories etched into football folklore.
8 March 2026, 04:12 AM
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The first World Cup final: Two footballs, 300 bayonets and a death threat

The final of the first FIFA World Cup was not just a match—it was a nerve-wracking battle between two neighboring rivals: Uruguay and Argentina. Held at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, on July 30, 1930, that match remains etched in the annals of football history.
6 March 2026, 08:30 AM
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The curse of expectation: Favourites and their repeated World Cup heartbreaks

From Austria’s ‘Wunderteam’ in 1934 to Hungary’s ‘Magical Magyars’ in 1954, or Brazil’s artistic 1982 side, the World Cup stage has repeatedly turned into a graveyard for pre-tournament favourites.
4 March 2026, 11:35 AM
Zinnat Ferdous first boxing fight in Bangladesh

Punches, purpose, and ‘something meaningful’

Born and raised in the United States, Zinnat Ferdous balances her career as a Google programme manager with a burning passion for the ring.
1 August 2025, 10:16 AM
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Leveraging fairytale flame

After years of heartbreak and being dubbed "Neverkusen" for their string of runners-up finishes, Bayer Leverkusen finally broke through to claim their first-ever Bundesliga title. Their 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen last week secured the trophy, marking a watershed moment in the club's 119-year history. Although they have enjoyed intermittent cup success, this league title signifies a shift in their fortunes.
20 April 2024, 01:00 AM
From wheelchair to Paralympics: Jhuma’s inspiring journey

From wheelchair to Paralympics: Jhuma’s inspiring journey

“So what if I’m a person with disabilities?” said Jhuma Akhter, with sparks of defiance and confidence in her eyes, to anyone who ever doubted her.
8 March 2024, 18:00 PM
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Mauritania’s meteoric rise and lessons for Bangladesh

While Bangladesh remain in the backwaters of international football, Yahya and his federation has transformed Mauritania’s football
25 January 2024, 17:00 PM
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Dorival Jr the answer to Brazil’s woes?

Following a string of disappointing performances after a quarterfinal exit from the 2022 World Cup, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Dorival Junior as the new head coach.
12 January 2024, 00:30 AM
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‘Neverkusen’ no more!

Initially seen as dark horses, Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso have stormed out of the blocks in the 2023-24 Bundesliga season, etching their name in the record books with some stellar displays so far.
22 December 2023, 18:30 PM
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‘Clinical’ Shanto puts Tigers in command

Najmul Hossain Shanto oozed class during a record-breaking ton against New Zealand on the third day of the Sylhet Test yesterday, setting the platform for Bangladesh to grab a rare win in the red-ball format.
30 November 2023, 18:00 PM
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‘We may aspire to win a medal at Asian Games’

Tuhin Tarafder has been representing the Bangladesh national kabaddi team for seven long years.
28 April 2023, 18:00 PM
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Urmi’s trajectory verifies Youth Games’ importance

After grabbing the spotlight in the 2018 Youth Games, shuttler Urmi Akter went on to become the country’s number one-ranked female badminton star. In an exclusive interview with Sabbir Hossain of The Daily Star
3 March 2023, 18:00 PM
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Ninth time’s the charm

Ever since its inception, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) has had to live with the blame of failing to match its hype, mostly due to yielding fewer boundaries and high-scoring contests -- the two T20 elements that are found in abundance in the most popular franchise-based competition, the Indian Premier League (IPL). 
17 February 2023, 18:00 PM
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Will stars finally align for PSG or City?

If you are a football fan, especially an ardent club football one, you must have occasionally wondered how on earth Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are yet to win a UEFA Champions League. For quite some time, both teams have possessed all the firepower and a spectrum of quality tailor-made for success but failed to taste the most coveted trophy presented on the European club scene so far.
10 February 2023, 18:00 PM

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