The ball used when Diego Maradona scored his “Hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has been put up for auction by the Tunisian referee who was in charge of the game and missed soccer’s most famous handball.
Graham Budd Auctions said Thursday that they expect the 36-year-old Adidas ball, which referee Ali Bin Nasser owns, to fetch between $2.7 million and $3.3 million when it goes up for sale in Britain on Nov. 16, four days before the World Cup in Qatar kicks off.
The goal that gave Argentina a 1-0 lead in the quarterfinal against England in Mexico City has become part of World Cup legend. Maradona jumped as if to head the ball but instead punched it past goalkeeper Peter Shilton. England players protested to Nasser but the goal stood. Maradona quipped afterward that it was scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God,” leading to its iconic name.
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Maradona used the same ball, the only one used in the quarterfinal, for his brilliant second goal four minutes later. The Argentina great ran 68 meters from his own half and weaved his way past half the England team before slipping the ball past Shilton. That goal was voted the World Cup Goal of the Century in 2002.
Argentina won the game 2-1 and went on to lift the World Cup, and the tournament launched Maradona as one of the game’s greatest players. Maradona died in 2020 at the age of 60.
“This ball is part of international football history,” Nasser said in a statement from Graham Budd Auctions. “It feels like the right time to be sharing it with the world.”
The shirt worn by Maradona in that game against England was sold for $9.3 million at an auction in May, which was at the time the highest price ever paid at auction for a piece of sports memorabilia. The record was beaten by a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card, which sold for $12.6 million in August.
Nasser will also auction the referee shirt he wore for the quarterfinal, Graham Budd Auctions said, and another shirt that Maradona signed for his “eternal friend” at a reunion years after the game.
Source: United News of Bangladesh
No DMP permission for Kabir Suman concert at National Museum
Internationally acclaimed West Bengal singer-lyricist-composer Kabir Suman is scheduled to perform for fans in Dhaka with three concerts — from Saturday — at the National Museum.
On Thursday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said that it did not give permission for the Kabir Suman concert, as National Museum is a key point installation (KPI).
DMP Commissioner MD Shafiqul Islam confirmed the matter to UNB, saying, “We did not give permission for the concert at Bangladesh National Museum, as the venue is a key point installation.
The three-day event is being organised by event management company Peephole, which disclosed the details of the event at a press conference at the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro on Wednesday.
Peephole executives Fuad Bin Omar and Mir Arif Billah revealed the arrangement of the concert at the press conference. They, however, did not mention whether they secured permission from DMP or not.
Read: Leading Indian singer Kabir Suman hospitalised
Tickets for the Kabir Suman concert on October 15 and 21 were sold out within 72 hours and tickets for October 18 were nearing being stocked out, the organisers said at the press conference.
They also informed that there will be virtual tickets for Sumon fans at home and abroad.
UNB tried to reach Omar and Billah for comments, but they were unreachable till the time of filing this report.
The concerts were set to mark the 30-year anniversary of Kabir Suman’s popular album “Tomake Chai”.
Source: United News of Bangladesh