Iran National Football Team is going to face Morocco in the Group B opener on Friday, June 15. It is Iran’s fifth World Cup appearance and the country with it indigenous masses are hoping to do better than the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Iran’s players are getting ready of the glory in Russia.

Meanwhile, Iran National Team is facing a famine as US Sportswear Company [NIKE] said it could not supply football cleats and shoes to the Iranian players due to US sanctions on the Iranian regime.

“US sanctions mean that, as a US company, Nike cannot supply shoes to players in the Iranian National team at this time,” Nike had said in a statement.

Carlos Queiroz the head coach of Iran’s National Team is asking for assistance from FIFA to try to force Nike’s hand. At the end of the day, it is all about players being comfortable in their own shoes.

“Players get used to their sports equipment and it’s not right to change them a week before such important matches.”Queiroz

The Nike controversy, over the supply of football equipment has put Iran in a tough spot. They are worried about their performance in the coming matches throughout the tournament.

“Nike is dragging politics back into the picture and souring what should be a global celebration. Nike was an outspoken opponent of Trump’s Muslim ban that targets Iranians, yet now here they are helping enforce this new shameful policy against Iranians.” National Iranian American Council had said in a statement to CNBC.

The Iranian Football Association has asked the football governing body FIFA to intervene.

Iranian players now have to find out a solution by their own in Russia and some Iranian footballers are players of European clubs have sought their help.

The team heads are looking for short-term solution but it is a real concern for them and the Iranian Football Association has to find solution to this problem.

This is hardly the first time political tensions have played out in the sports arena. During the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Samsung, based in South Korea, declined to provide commemorative cell phones to North Korean and Iranian athletes, citing international sanctions on luxury goods going to either nation.

Hugo Moyano (AFA 2nd Vice President) : “It’s good that Argentina’s game with Israel has been suspended. It has been done right, it was not worth it. What happens in those places, where so many people are killed, as a human being can not be accepted. Player’s families suffered from the threats.”

The striker Gonzalo Higuain has confirmed that the warm-up match has been cancelled with Israel. This was a political gesture shown by the players of Argantina in their capacity for the people of Gaza and for the love of humanity.

There has been no initial response from FA at the moment, however there are reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called Argentinian President Mauricio Macri to ask him to persuade the team not to cancel their visit to Jerusalem.

The visit of twice world champions Argentina has attracted huge interest among Israeli fans, mainly because of Barcelona FC player Lionel Messi’s planned his participation.

Palestinian people celebrated the cancellation of this match. In Gaza, people cheered and in Ramallah in the West Bank, the Palestinian FA issued a statement thanking Messi and his colleagues for cancelling the game. There is gratitude from all over the Muslims of the world.

Argentinian football team summoned more courage for Palestine than the so-called leaders of Islamic world. The south American football team which is famous all over the world has demonstrated their love for humanity, while the leaders of the Arab world are having secret diplomacy with the Jewish state. This is sad and hopeful at the same time. Since the decision President Donald Trump took for move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, hundreds of people have been killed, and thousands injured by the border conflicts between the Jewish forces and Muslims fighting for their rights on the Gaza belt. This ongoing conflict has a history of several decades, and no end in sight. However, little gestures such as this Argentinian team’s gesture to not play a friendly match against Israel in Jerusalem has to be one of the major ones.

The 45-year-old international football legend from the past decided to quit at the top of his career, and said that that it was time for a change for himself and the club. He also admitted that he was not sure of his capabilities of sustaining the winning streak for the club, and would hate to watch Real Madrid’s success dwell under his presence.

Zinedine Zidane also made a point that there was no other club which may have influenced his decision, and has expressed that he is not seeking any other position at the moment.

“I have taken the decision to not continue next year as Real Madrid coach,” he said.

“This club deserves to continue to win and needs a change” he said, adding that he believed the “moment has come.”

“After three years the club needs another discourse, another method of working,” he added

This was very unexpected, however Zidane claimed that he was unsure of his ability to inspire the team to more victories.

“I don´t see myself continuing to win this year and I am a winner, I don´t like to lose,” added Zidane.

“I have thought a lot about this decision and I can´t go back on it.”

Real beat Liverpool 3-1 in the final in Kiev on Saturday, making Zidane the first coach in history to win three successive Champions League titles.

Zidane has now won nine trophies since replacing Rafael Benitez in the Santiago Bernabeu dugout in January 2016.

He said his decision had nothing to do with Real icon Cristiano Ronaldo hinting that he will also leave the club following the Champions League triumph on Saturday.

It is still unclear what the future holds for the football legend, however it is certain that Zidane’s journey and contribution to International football is yet to be over.

The Transgender community has been ignored by the mainstream policy makers for several decades, however a new wave of human rights activists has given way to several new initiatives that include the transgender community in social events.

Transgender people in Peshawar were delighted by a sports event organised by the district sports office. Expressed gratitude for the local government for taking the initiative.

The festival’s idea was proposed by the district sports officers to district council member Naumanul Haq, who helped fund the event. By the efforts of the council member the event could take place. This should become a regular practice now in order to keep the transgender community engaged in everyday practices.

The festival was attended by Director General Sports for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Junaid Khan and by District Sports Officer Jamshed Baloch, who also gave away trophies to the winning teams and players. Important personalities attending such events give a moral boost to the minority communities. It shows that the high-up policy makers are with the transgender community in their everyday battle of being the third gender.

Sports played during the festival included cricket, badminton, football, archery and tug of war, with two teams competing in each event.

It is extremely important for every Human being to make sure you contribute in the betterment of the society, bringing value gives meaning to life. Transgender (also referred to as khusra) reflects a group of people who enjoy the least amount of respect or rights in Pakistan. Due to the controversial nature and typical mindset of people, the subject of Transgender rights in Pakistan is not even discussed in sophisticated circles. Most people do not even consider them as a part of their community; massive rejections are often faced by transgenders in almost all the parts of Pakistan. Being supportive of the minority groups such as Transgenders is a noble cause. All of us must do everything in our capacity to make sure they are not left out in any walk of life, it is our moral, spiritual and social responsibility.

Transgenders are as human as anyone of us, and we at Pakiholic believe that being supportive of the minority groups gives us the meaning of life.

Mansoor Ahmed played three consecutive World Cups and won 1994 World Cup Hockey Championship (world Cup). He also holds a silver medal in 1990 world cup hockey championship. He played ten Champions Trophies and secured a Gold medal in 1994 as well as three Asian Games and won gold in 1990 Beijing (China). In his career, he has earned 12 gold,12 silver and 8 bronze medals in international hockey tournaments.

The 49-year-old had been suffering from complications stemming from a pacemaker and stents implanted in his heart.He was admitted to the hospital on Saturday morning and was put on ventilator, but didn’t survive since his heart was functioning with only 20 per cent efficiency.

“I may have broken a lot of Indian hearts on the field of play by beating India in the Indira Gandhi Cup (1989) and in other events but that was sport,” Ahmed told AFP. “Now I need a heart transplant in India and for that I need support from the Indian government.”

“Humanity is paramount and I too would be obliged if I get a visa and other help in India,” said Ahmed.

He was declared All Asian Stars Hockey Team member in 1996 and also declared World Eleven Hockey team member in 1994.His glories made him rise above the sky by becoming World’s best goalkeeper and declared by F.I.H in 1994. Mansoor stood 4 times as best goalkeeper of the tournament in his lifetime career. He was the flag carrier of the Pakistani Contingent in 1996 Atlanta (U.S.A) Olympics. In his outstanding performance in the field of hockey Govt of Pakistan awarded President Award 1988.He also Awarded, Pride of Performance,(Highest civil award) in 1994.

He took on the responsibility of the National hockey coach of Pakistan junior hockey team in 2000. He was appointed as specialist goal keeper coach of Bangladesh national hockey team in 2014. He also appointed director of Pakistan hockey federation hockey Academies in 2010.

He is holding the degree of High Performance Coaching Diploma. Besides a player, Mansoor Ahmad is a social activist and work as ambassador with different organizations like “Right to Play” and “Athlete Ambassador”. He also works as ambassador for No smoking campaign by Government of Pakistan. He has the honor to be announced as speaker for Doha Football world cup 2022 Qatar. He was also invited as a guest for special Olympics Los Angeles 2015.

1. Understand your goal, and be realistic.
During the month of ramadan your goal should be to maintain your current fitness level and lean muscle tissue.
This is not the time to progress in your workout. Never worked out before? Ramadan is NOT the time to start. But you can still work on changing your eating habits. Eating healthy and not unhealthy.

2. Manage Frequency. To maintain the lean muscle, workout 3-4 times weekly. And it is mandatory to plan prior to Ramadan. This will help you stay motivated.

3. Stay hydrated at night. Aim for at least 2.5 litres.
Try to spread this out throughout the evening, so you don’t flush it all and end up thirsty the next day.

4. Avoid dead-lifts during the month, as it is the movement that carries the highest risk when dehydrated. I’m speaking from experience, unfortunately.

5. Should I do cardio?
Don’t be ridiculous. Unless you’re training for endurance, the only use for cardio here would be to offset a calorie surplus eaten during the night, in which case use this as an opportunity for self control. Remember the Hadith “Enough for a human being to have luqaymat (a few mouthfuls) that prop up his spine and, if he must have more in his stomach, then one third of food, one third of water, and one third of air.”

Cardio to deliberately create a calorie deficit is a recipe for fatigue. The only training goal during this period is the minimum stimulus to maintain muscle mass. The training approach above will ensure that.

Fasting in Ramadan can also have several benefits:

– Improved mental discipline.

– A chance to rekindle your spiritual connection, shut away the distractions and dive inwardly.

– A chance to allow training/diet to run in the background and to focus on higher priorities.

– The potential for restored insulin sensitivity and nutrient partitioning.

– Higher growth hormone output during the fasts.

Ramadan can throw one off the routine but it’s time like these that determine your consistency, motivation and sense of adaptation of different routines and managing to fit.

The European mega-tournament UEFA Champions League semi-final came to end on Wednesday as Liverpool won the match against their counterpart AS Roma with aggregate (7-6) and booked their place in Final of Champions League.

Real Madrid won their match against Bayern Munich with aggregate (4-3) and made their way to final stage of Champions League in Stadion NSK Olimpiyskiy, Kyiv.

In the final stage of Champions League, Real Madrid will play against Liverpool on Saturday, May 26, 2018.

Wednesday’s Result

As Roma 4-2 Liverpool

Tuesday’s Result

Real Madrid 2-2 Bayern Munich

Real Madrid in the second Leg of the match semifinal struggled during the second half of the match. Marcelo assist to Karim Benzema assured goal for Real Madrid that slowed down the pace of Bayern Munich. The notable Ronaldo during rest of the match was unable to put the ball into net but still his fans are expecting astonishing from him.

The super star player of Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo with 15 goals remains on top of the table of top scorers in Champions League. Mohamad Salah with his tremendous performance have succeed to put the ball for 10 times in the net to secure second position on the table. His teammate Roberto Firmino is on third position with 10 goals throughout the tournament.

Ronaldo has now scored against 34 different teams in the UEFA Champions League after scoring his first ever goal against Paris Saint-Germain.

Ronaldo equivalent Messi, meanwhile, has dropped out of the top marksmen in the competition this season after the lost to AS Roma in Quarterfinal game. Neymar due to injury was incompetent to continue in the tournament.

Champions League Top Scorers

1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid: 15
2. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: 10
3. Roberto Firmino, Liverpool: 10
4. Sadio Mane, Liverpool: 9
5. EdinDzeko, Roma: 8
6. Wissam Ben Yedder, Sevilla: 8
7. EdinsonCavani, Paris Saint-Germain: 7
8. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur: 7
9. Lionel Messi, Barcelona: 6
10. Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain: 6

The final match in Kiyv will decide who will become the top scorer of Champions League.

Liverpool coach Klopp is confident with his team; in the first leg. Last week, his team defeated A.S Roma with the aggregate of 5-2. Roma overturning three-goal deficit against LA LIGA champions Barcelona will wary Reds at Stadio Olimpico.

Meanwhile, the Italian adversaries are seeking their first-ever appearance in European football’s pinnacle event, having surprisingly reached the semifinal stage for the first time in their history.

Liverpool has shown astonishing performance during the tournament. The PFA Player of the year Mohamad Salah continued his great run of goalscoring form as he notched two goals in quick succession to fire the Reds into a two-goal lead at halftime.

However, Liverpool not for the first time this season took their eye off the ball defensively to allow Giallorossi back into the tie late on.

An error from Gejan Lovren allowed former Manchester City striker Edin to pull on back, James Milner’s inadvertent handball gave Diego Perotti the opportunity to slot home from the penalty spot, which he duly converted.

Liverpool has confirmed that its key players Emre Can, Joel Matip, Adam Lallana and Alex will not join their teammates for the trip to the Stadio Olimpico.

Roma also have few concerns to their own as they look to overturn their three-goal deficit in the second leg. The first-leg goal-scorer Diego Perotti is reportedly struggling.

Possible Roma Starting Lineup: Alisson, Florenzi, Kolarov, Manolas, Fazio, Nainggolan, De Rossi, Pellegrini, Schick, El Shaarawy, Džeko.

Possible Liverpool Starting Lineup: Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Lovren, van Dijk, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Milner, Mane, Salah, Firmino.

During the press conference, following is what the Liverpool coach Klopp had to say

“We all have the same opinion, it’s a football game,” Klopp said. “The fight is only on the pitch. It should be like this.”

“Tomorrow, around the game in this wonderful city in good weather, people can walk to the stadium and look forward to a fantastic, intense football game. I really hope that will be possible.”

AS Roma coach, Di Francesco said Liverpool visit should be celebration and further he said the following during press conference

“Every fan base has bad elements. It’s always a minority of fans who do these awful things,” Di Francesco told the media.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with Sean Cox and his family and we are against any form of violence.

“There are true passionate and decent fans in Rome, but a tiny minority, the same in England and all over the world. These are the people who can ruin a brilliant sport, and brilliant game, that we will have tomorrow.

“I take this opportunity to make an appeal [against violence]. I hope tomorrow will be a celebration, regardless of the result.”

Roma will need to pull off a second miracle in a matter of weeks if they are to progress to a historical first Champions League final.

There is ultimately a feeling of what might happen at the final whistle.

Tournament    Champions League Semifinal Stage

Referee           Bjoern Kuipers

Stadium           Allianz Arena

Match Date     Wednesday, April 25, 2018, 23:45

Bayern Munich faces the Spanish giant Real Madrid in the first leg of UEFA Champions League Semifinal. They have faced each other in last Champions League quarter-final clash. Real Madrid won the match with an aggregate of 4:2 and qualified for Semi-final. This is a great chance for Bayern Munich to take revenge from their Spanish opponent.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will meet for the 25^th times in European competition, this will be the most played European Cup/Champions League fixture history match.

Bayern Munich has lost each of their last five games against Real Madrid in the Champions League with all of those coming in the knockout rounds.

Real Madrid has won each of their last two Champions League games against Bayern at the Allianz Arena, with both coming in seasons in which they went to win the competition.

After a disappointing La Liga campaign, Real Madrid is looking to the Champions League to save their season. Real have won quarterfinal with the penalty of Ronaldo and qualified Semifinal to face German professional domestic club Bayern Munich.

Bayern Munich stands on top of the Bundes Liga standings table and it will be by no means a stress-free match for Real Madrid. Bayern Munich booked their place in semis with the win over Sevilla 2-1 in the quarters. Still, they are not looking comfortable with the clash of the semifinal.

Bayern Munich has world’s best defensive line, and not easy for Ronaldo to break the defense of their encounter-part. Real Madrid midfielder might face difficulties in the start but their strong integration will work to slow down the pace of their opponent.

Real Madrid left-back David Alaba and Marcelo are arguably the two best in the world. The Brazilian professional is instrumental in Real Madrid’s Champions League matches. His combination with Ronaldo will be the key strength for their winning against Bayern Munich.

The star player of Real Madrid Ronaldo has picked up 24 goals in 15 games of the league. Ronaldo is playing for a new position as a central striker but his position has not changed his potent in front of goal.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has scored 28 goals in 28 appearances in the league. While the Polish professional striker is becoming unstoppable from scoring goal. The Bayern Munich will play beside him to make a chance for him.

Thiago Alcantara of Bayern Munich considered next Xavi for his fantastic eye for a pass and in superb with the ball at his feet. His skill and combination with Robert might bring prowess in front of goal.

There is a strong anticipation of the tie, but this is football we can expect anything from it.