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Manchester United star Raphael Varane has responded firmly to FIFA president Gianni Infantino's latest speech against racism in football.

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Infantino denounces racism in latest speechVarane issues strong response to FIFA presidentUnited defender says "actions speak louder than words"GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

As racism continues to stain the game in all corners of the world and up to the highest levels of the sport, FIFA president Infantino released a video announcing their plans to tackle the issue at the next FIFA Congress. But while Infantino underlined "FIFA's commitment to eradicate racism", Varane responded by saying those words are simply not enough. The United defender feels concrete action is needed for an issue that still happens week in, week out.

AdvertisementWHAT FIFA SAID

Alongside a video on FIFA's official Instagram page, Infantino is quoted as saying: "We know very well that football unites the world, and especially in our fragmented and divided world, football has a responsibility to unite – now more than ever.

"At the next FIFA Congress which will be held on 17 May in Bangkok, FIFA will present a stance against racism to all our 211 FIFA Member Associations from all over the world. We want to unite the world in this stance against racism because we have seen too many incidents of racism and discrimination to simply call it a reflection of society or offer any other poor excuse.

We have the tools; we need to put them in place, and we need to get the world – the football world, in this instance, united in our fight against racism. On this, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, I want to reiterate FIFA’s commitment to eradicate racism once and for all from football."

GettyWHAT VARANE SAID

The United defender was firm in his response, writing on his Instagram story: "Actions speak louder than words. As supporters have big expectation on us to perform, we as players have big expectations of our leaders to use their power for good. We will be following closely and hoping for action for change."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Varane's words ring true amid a calendar year that has already seen several incidents of racist abuse, barely three months in. Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was again the victim of vile taunts from Atletico Madrid fans – during a game he wasn't even playing in – earlier this month. Mike Maignan forced AC Milan's game with Udinese to be paused after being racially abused in January, and just this week Napoli's Juan Jesus accused Inter defender Francesco Acerbi of a racist remark during their Serie A clash.

Dananjaya is awaiting the birth of his child, while Chandimal suffered a finger fracture during Sri Lanka’s domestic T20s

Madushka Balasuriya 04-Sep-2018Akila Dananjaya is set to miss at least the first two games of the Asia Cup as he awaits the birth of his first child. Dinesh Chandimal meanwhile is in doubt after sustaining a hairline fracture on the middle finger of his right hand during Sri Lanka’s recently-concluded domestic T20 tournament.Sri Lanka will face Bangladesh in the tournament opener on September 15, with their next game set for September 17 against Afghanistan. The absence of Dananjaya is particularly a blow, with the offspinner being among Sri Lanka’s main threats in the shorter formats of the game, having also regularly taken up new-ball duties in the crucial Powerplay period.With the top two teams from each groups of three making it through to the Super Four stage, the truncated nature of the tournament leaves little margin for error and Sri Lanka will be hoping the offspin of Dilruwan Perera and the return of Lasith Malinga will help offset Dananjaya’s unavailability.Chandimal will likely be replaced by Niroshan Dickwella who is on standby after missing out on the initial squad. Dickwella was also dropped for the one-off T20 against South Africa at home last month when Chandimal had returned from the ICC-imposed spirit-of-cricket suspension.Dickwella’s omission had in fact come as a surprise, having been one of the few Sri Lankan batsmen to consistently trouble South Africa’s bowlers in that series. He had opened the innings throughout the ODIs, scoring 158 runs at an average of 31.60 and a strike rate of 82.72 – only Kusal Perera and Angelo Mathews had performed better. However, he put up a sub-par display in Sri Lanka’s domestic T20 tournament post the South Africa series, where he scored just 24 runs in four outings.The selectors expect to know more about Chandimal’s injury in the coming week.

Manchester United have been gifted a huge injury boost with Erik ten Hag seemingly close to having a “monster” back to full fitness and available for selection.

Man Utd injuries

The Red Devils have had multiple injury issues so far this season and once again had a number of players absent in the week for a Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen. Harry Maguire was the match winner and Andre Onana the late hero after saving an injury-time penalty at Old Trafford, with attention now on Sunday’s derby with rivals Manchester City in the Premier League.

Man United injuries – players who missed FC Copenhagen

Lisandro Martinez

Foot issue

Tyrell Malacia

Muscle injury

Luke Shaw

Muscle injury

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Hamstring problem

Amad Diallo

Knee injury

Ten Hag may not have a fully fit squad to choose from for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s side, however, it looks as if one player is closing in on a return.

Chief football reporter for The Daily Mail, Sami Mokbel, provided an Aaron Wan-Bissaka injury update in the last 48 hours. He said that the full-back has taken a major step towards full fitness at Carrington after returning to training on the grass. He described it as a huge injury boost for the Red Devils, with the player possibly being available to return to first-team action within the next 10 days, should the final stages of his rehabilitation go to plan.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka Man Utd future

Wan-Bissaka has had an eventful 18 months under Ten Hag, and at one point, it was believed that the manager was ready to allow the player to leave the club. However, he has now won the Dutchman around, with reports on Wan-Bissaka’s Man Utd future earlier this month claiming that the defender is seen as integral to Ten Hag’s plans and that contract talks are underway.

Speaking at the end of last season, Ten Hag hailed Wan-Bissaka, saying:

“He has improved a lot, as many players have improved during the season. That's one of the jobs for a manager and the coaching staff, to get that done and we are really happy with it, that players are developing.

“Always the team spirit is the base and if players understand that, if they can set their egos aside, then you will see that the team develops and progresses. And then within the team's progress, individuals make a lot of progress and Aaron is definitely one of them.”

The Englishman, previously labelled as a defensive “monster” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, began the current campaign as first choice but has been absent with his hamstring issue since September, missing eight games. (Aaron Wan-Bissaka stats – Transfermarkt)

Therefore, knowing he is closing in on a Man Utd return is a boost as Mokbel mentions, and it’ll be interesting to see if he comes back in as first choice straightaway over the coming weeks.

The PCB chief selector has taken exception to rumours that he tried to abuse his position to secure his son’s selection in Pakistan’s Under-19 squad

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2018A meeting between the PCB chairman Ehsan Mani and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq would appear to have ended the uncertainty surrounding Inzamam’s role in a selection controversy that arose over the past few days. The meeting, requested by Inzamam after he took exception to rumours circulating in the Pakistani media he had abused his position to try and secure a favourable selection outcome for his son in the Pakistan U-19 squad. The PCB are understood to have given him full assurance of their trust and support.Inzamam, incensed by the accusation, released a video message categorically denying it was true, saying he would resign if that were proven. At the same time, he challenged the person responsible for the origin of the accusation to do the same if he failed to prove the claim. He is also believed to be assessing his legal options.The origin of the story appeared to be an off-the-record chat between a Pakistani journalist and former international player Abdul Qadir. According to the journalist, Qadir had said the chief selector of the Pakistan U-19 team Basit Ali had been phoned by Inzamam, who requested him to include his son, Ibtasam-ul-Haq in the side. Once the story broke, Qadir stood by this version of events, while Basit denied the conversation, either with Qadir or with Inzamam, ever took place.”I strongly refute this unfounded and malicious claim,” Inzamam wrote in a tweet on Wednesday. “For the record, no one from junior selection committee was approached and there is no truth in this. I am taking this matter quite seriously and will be meeting PCB chairman for an open inquiry on this matter tomorrow.”Nepotism is a particularly prickly issue for Inzamam, particularly in the wake of Imam-ul-Haq’s selection for the national side last year. Imam is Inzamam’s nephew, and there had been questions about whether Inzamam’s influence on selection had played a part in securing a spot for Imam. However, Imam’s bright start to international cricket – he made four centuries in his first nine ODIs, including on debut – have largely dispelled those concerns.

The midfield duo got Jordan Pickford and Lewis Dunk out of jail, as their errors led to Youri Tielemans scoring twice for the visitors

England have no wins from their two March friendlies, but they know they can always count on Jude Bellingham to get them out of a hole. The Real Madrid star was asked to be the Three Lions' talisman in the absence of Harry Kane, and he delivered right at the death to rescue a 2-2 draw and soften some of the criticism heading Gareth Southgate's way after an ultimately disappointing international window.

Before Bellingham struck, England had shown their best and worst side. Debutant Kobbie Mainoo gave an outstanding performance which should book his seat on the plane to Euro 2024 while Ivan Toney made a strong case to join him by winning and converting a penalty to cancel out Youri Tielemans' opener.

Tielemans had been offered a gift by a terrible pass from Jordan Pickford, and then restored Belgium's advantage after another dire individual error from Lewis Dunk, who may well have his ticket to Germany cancelled.

GOAL rates England's players from Wembley Stadium…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Jordan Pickford (4/10):

Was under no pressure when he gave the ball away and gifted Tielemans his first goal. Made a decent save to thwart Doku afterwards.

Ezri Konza (5/10):

Began at right-back then shifted inside after Stones' injury. Not to blame for either goal but didn't exactly exude confidence.

John Stones (N/A):

Forced off in the 10th minute to give his Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola another injury headache.

Lewis Dunk (3/10):

Another England appearance, another howler for the Brighton man. Made a dog's dinner of a simple clearance, allowing Lukaku to tee up Tielemans.

Ben Chilwell (5/10):

Didn't cause Castagne many problems down the left. On this evidence, Shaw remaining injured is his best route to a starting berth.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Kobbie Mainoo (8/10):

An outstanding international debut, imposing himself on the game with graceful, positive passing and control.

Declan Rice (6/10):

Not the result he would have hoped for after being named captain for the first time, although he did little wrong.

Jude Bellingham (7/10):

Always looked like England's best hope of a goal, and after a couple of frustrating misses, he finally found it in the nick of time.

Getty ImagesAttack

Phil Foden (6/10):

Was able to influence the game more than against Brazil but didn't get the rub of the green with his final pass.

Ivan Toney (7/10):

A strong full debut, winning and converting a penalty. Good build-up play and made a strong case to be included for Germany over Watkins.

Jarrod Bowen (5/10):

Had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half but his shooting was wayward in the second.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Joe Gomez (6/10):

Had his hands full dealing with Doku but still got forward a lot.

James Maddison (7/10):

Only got 16 minutes but it was enough time to make a valuable contribution, wriggling free to lay the ball off to Bellingham.

Anthony Gordon (N/A):

Earned his second England cap off the bench.

Ollie Watkins (N/A):

Didn't see much of the ball after replacing Toney.

Gareth Southgate (6/10):

Made good selections but not the performance or result he would have hoped for to lift spirits after Brazil. But at least it wasn't two defeats.

USMNT star Christian Pulisic requested to play a role for AC Milan off the bench against Fiorentina Saturday, coach Stefano Pioli confirmed pregame.

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Milan taking on FiorentinaPulisic benched for Rossoneri

Pioli reveals American's request to not start

WHAT HAPPENED?

Milan named their starting XI for their Serie A clash against Fiorentina on Saturday, with the USMNT winger on the bench, replaced by Nigerian Samuel Chukwueze. Questions arose why the Rossoneri's second-leading scorer began on the sidelines, but boss Stefano Pioli clarified the situation pregame.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT STEFANO PIOLI SAID

"I spoke to Christian yesterday, he told me that he had not entirely recovered from international duty, so he would prefer to play only a portion of the match," he told Sky Sport Italia. “Chukwueze is working well, he had a few difficulties settling in at the start, but he is a quality player. Fiorentina are a good team, very aggressive and intense, so we need to give our best.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Pulisic played 210 minutes across two matches for the USMNT during the FIFA international break, helping them claim their third-straight CONCACAF Nations League title. Now, just six days after his heroic championship game performance, the winger revealed he doesn't feel 100 percent fit to play for Milan in their highly-anticipated Serie A clash against Fiorentina.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC AND MILAN?

The Rossoneri take on Fiorentina Saturday afternoon, with a clash against Lecce next Saturday on the horizon. Then, it's a return to the Europa League with a match against fellow Italian side Roma.

Leeds United have done really well to recover from last season's devastating relegation back down to the Championship after spending just three seasons in the top flight.

The 2022/23 Premier League campaign is certainly one to forget for the Yorkshire side but will serve as an important reminder to the club about how to handle player and managerial recruitment upon return to the promised land one day, especially regarding the inclusion of relegation clauses in certain contracts.

While new head coach Daniel Farke has managed to turn the side's fortunes around this season, there are still a few names on the books that haunt the board, including one man in particular who has had a torrid time out on loan.

Leeds United relegation clauses

Following Leeds' relegation from the Premier League, the side had a real battle on their hands to keep hold of players they had spent such vast sums of money on.

The reason for this was that the club agreed to allow various expensive stars to insert a relegation clause into their contract upon moving to Elland Road which forbade them from playing in the Championship, according to The Athletic. This was used as a makeweight to entice players to move to Leeds United without scaring them off at the prospect of taking a 60% wage reduction in the event of dropping down a division.

As a result, numerous big-money signings were sent out on loan during the summer, including Brenden Aaronson, Jack Harrison, Robin Koch, Max Wober and Marc Roca, among others. These players are set to return to west Yorkshire at the end of the season if a permanent deal doesn't come to fruition. This will likely be the case with Aaronson amid what has been a dismal spell on loan at Union Berlin, having signed for Leeds United in 2022 for £25m from RB Salzburg.

It was clear why Victor Orta brought in the USMNT star based on his record in Austria. In 66 appearances for Salzburg in all competitions across two seasons, Aaronson scored 13 goals and registered 15 assists, with 15 of his goal contributions coming from the number '10' position.

Unfortunately, it never quite clicked for the attacker at Leeds, having bagged one goal and three assists in 40 matches, leading BBC pundit John Newsome to call Aaronson's transfer "disappointing".

In a recent interview with The Athletic, the 23-year-old even admitted that he could feature for his parent club next season, claiming that his time at Leeds is "not done and dusted". However, his form on loan in Germany won't fill fans with any confidence that he can return and prove his worth in front of the Elland Road faithful.

Brenden Aaronson's stats this season

Union Berlin's 1-1 draw away at Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday evening ended a run of twelve-straight defeats for the German outfit. Aaronson was brought on 11 minutes from the end to make his 13th appearance of the season. Within those 13 games, the American has failed to register a single goal or assist. Digging further into the Leeds loanee's stats since moving to Germany doesn't make for great reading.

Jack Harrison (Everton)

5

1

Luis Sinisterra (Bournemouth)

4

1

Robin Kock (Frankfurt)

10

0

Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin)

7

0

Max Wober (B. Monchengladbach)

10

0

Rasmus Kristensen (Roma)

10

0

Marc Roca (Real Betis)

12

2

Diego Llorente (Roma)

9

0

Sam Greenwood (Middlesbrough)

10

3

Cody Drameh (Birmingham)

11

0

Sonny Perkins (Oxford United)

2

0

Stats via Transfermarkt.

Last season, Aaronson's combined expected goals and expected assists per 90 average was 0.31 compared to 0.14 per 90 this term. The player is also averaging 0.69 progressive carries per 90 and 3.1 progressive passes per 90 with Union, a drop from 1.63 progressive carries per 90 and 3.26 progressive passes per 90 in the previous campaign.

Additionally, Aaronson has averaged 1.38 key passes per 90 and 1.72 passes to the final third per 90 with the Bundesliga side, while his numbers with Leeds were higher, having averaged 1.74 key passes per 90 and 1.78 passes to the attacking third per 90 last term.

Nevertheless, perhaps the most damning stat to sum up Aaronson's loan spell so far is that the former Philadelphia Union player has failed to make a single pass to the penalty area this season despite being a number '10'.

It seems unlikely that Aaronson will still be a Union Berlin player past the summer unless he drastically improves his output at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, so perhaps the 23-year-old will get a chance to prove himself one last time at Leeds if the club returns to the Premier League.

Chief selector MSK Prasad made it a point to say “it is not the end of Dhoni in T20Is” and added that they are looking to firm up back-up options behind the stumps

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-20180:57

Dasgupta: Dhoni’s omission a sign of the coming future

MS Dhoni has been dropped for the first time since he established himself as a heavyweight in Indian cricket. The 37-year old wicketkeeper-batsman will not be part of the T20I series against West Indies and Australia in November.However, chief selector MSK Prasad made it a point to say “it is not the end of Dhoni in T20Is” and added that they are looking to firm up back-up options behind the stumps. To that end, both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik have been picked for these six matches.Dhoni not part of T20I squad to face West Indies and Australia•Getty ImagesDhoni has been part of 93 of the 104 T20Is that India have played since his debut in December 2006. In that time, he’s made 1487 runs at a strke-rate of 127, alongside 54 catches and 33 stumpings. He has also been one of the most recognisable figures in IPL cricket, having played each of the 11 seasons. Having gone through a slump with Rising Pune Supergiant, he scored 455 runs at a strike-rate of 150 for Chennai Super Kings in their title-winning run earlier this year. Since then, he travelled to England as part of the T20I squads, although he got a chance to bat in only one of the three matches.”The T20Is here and in Australia, he [Dhoni] is not going to play, because we are also looking at a second wicketkeeper,” Prasad said at a press conference on Friday. “That will be between Rishabh and Dinesh Karthik. So they will be getting a chance to keep and bat.”Squad changes

In: Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Khaleel Ahmed, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Shahbaz Nadeem [Only for WI]
Out: Deepak Chahar, MS Dhoni, Siddarth Kaul, Hardik Pandya, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli [only for WI]

Hardik Pandya was also missing from both squads. The allrounder has not recovered from a back injury that he suffered during the Asia Cup in September. “As of now, he won’t be ready till November 15. After that, we will take a call,” Prasad said.Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma was named captain of India for the three-match series against West Indies, which begins on November 4. Virat Kohli will return to take the reins when the team begins its tour of Australia three weeks later.India have also called up Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer into their squads for both series. The 23-year old last played a T20I in December 2017 but has since then become an important figure in the A team and also took over captaincy of the Delhi Daredevils. His IPL team-mate Shahbaz Nadeem earned an India call-up as well, soon after a world record performance, albeit in 50-over cricket. The left-arm spinner picked up 8 for 10 in September and is part of five spin options that India have chosen to play West Indies, alongside the incumbents Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, and allrounders Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar. The seam attack will be led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, which now includes additional variation in the form of left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed. Fast bowlers Deepak Chahar and Siddharth Kaul, who were part of India’s previous T20I squad on the tour of England, were left out.In ODI news, Kedar Jadhav, who was ignored for the third game against West Indies despite his saying he was fully fit, has been recalled to play the final two matches of the series. “He is coming back from an injury which is why we asked him to play in the Duleep Trophy,” Prasad said. “We expected their team to go on to play the final which is why he’s not a part of the third ODI but is part of the fourth and fifth ODIs.”

Raphinha has emphatically stated his intention to remain at Barcelona, despite sparking talk of interest being shown from England and Saudi Arabia.

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Brazilian moved to Camp Nou in 2022Regularly linked with a move elsewhereIntends to honour long-term contractGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Brazil international bid farewell to the Premier League when completing a big-money transfer from Leeds to Camp Nou in the summer of 2022. He has shown glimpses of what he is capable of while in Catalunya, with 18 goals recorded through 80 appearances.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

There has, however, been plenty of speculation to suggest that the 27-year-old winger could be among those that Barca look to move on in an ongoing bid to raise funds. A return to the Premier League or switch to the Middle East has been mooted for Raphinha.

Getty ImagesWHAT RAPHINHA SAID

The man himself claims to have given no thought to his future, with Raphinha telling reporters after netting a decisive brace for Barca in their 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final encounter: “I have a few more years on my contract and I plan to fulfil them, I have already said many times that signing for Barcelona was a dream, and I will do everything possible to stay here for many years.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR RAPHINHA?

Raphinha’s contract is due to run until 2027. He faces fierce competition for places at Camp Nou, alongside the ever-present threat of Barca dipping back into the transfer market for further reinforcements, but believes that he has a role to play for the Liga giants on a long-term basis.

One of their main demands is to be exempted from government taxes, at least until they break even on their investments

Umar Farooq28-Nov-2018Three years into its existence and with none of the teams close to making profits, PSL franchises are urging the PCB to revisit its revenue-share model ahead of the fourth season. One of their main demands is to be exempted from government taxes, at least until they break even on their investments.Five franchises – the sixth one, formerly Multan Sultans, is currently without ownership – met with the PCB a day after the draft in Islamabad, where they were unanimous in their concerns about the league’s financial model. A three-member committee including Javed Afridi, owner of Peshawar Zalmi, Salman Iqbal of Karachi Kings and Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, has been formed to find ways to make the PSL more “sustainable” and gain tax breaks.The federal government as well the provincial government of Punjab have asked the PCB to make an official request for exemption in writing, one which will be put in front of the cabinet for a decision. Should they decide not to offer any relief, ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB could register the PSL in Gilgit-Baltistan, a northern province where they could take advantage of laxer taxation. Afridi revealed that registering the league as an offshore company is also an option.Over the last couple of seasons, franchises have raised concerns about the amount of tax they have paid on top of their franchise fees and other operational expenses. The first set of commercial and sponsorship rights deals the PSL signed up when it launched have now ended, and with enhanced deals now being inked in, as well as the scare caused by Multan Sultans’s financial meltdown, the remaining five have sensed this is the time to push for a greater slice of the pie.”Especially after Multan Sultans, we all are concerned about the league’s sustainability,” Afridi told ESPNcricinfo. “All eyes are on the PSL because this league is going to pave the way for other sports in the country. But with this model we are afraid we cannot go any further.”All five franchises came in together in the national spirit and spent a lot of money for the best interest of the country but for how long are we going to bear the losses? We are actually sucking money from our parent companies and are not even close to breaking even. We need a roadmap with a model which is more sustainable.”There should be parameters that should be laid down with tax exemption for sports because in future we will also have a hockey league and there should be a national sports policy to encourage investors to come forward. We have been paying 16% sales tax to the provincial government and 10% as witholding tax to the federal government without making profits. We met with finance minister Asad Umar last week and he seems to be very passionate about the game. They sought some time to revert back to us and we are hopeful this year there should be a permanent resolution to our problems.”The financial model adopted by the PCB in 2016 offers equal shares from a central revenue pool to all franchises, despite the difference in franchise fees. The two most expensive franchises – Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars, sold for USD 2.6 million and USD 2.5 million respectively per year – have argued that the revenue shares should be on a pro rata model, reflecting the expense of the franchise fee. Quetta Gladiators pay USD 1.1 million per year as their franchise fee, as comparison. In theory, however, both Karachi and Lahore should have greater commercial opportunities, based as they are in the two biggest cities in the country.The five franchises have also asked for an increase in their revenue shares. Afridi confirmed that each of the five franchises are operating at losses since the inaugural edition in 2016. For the first three years, the PCB put 85% of the PSL’s media rights revenue, 50% of the title sponsorship rights money, and 50-60% of the gate money into a central pool, which was then shared out equally among the franchises.Another bone of contention is tied to the falling value of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar. According to the agreements signed in 2016, franchise fees have to be paid in dollars – at the time it was signed, the exhange rate was PKR 105 to the dollar. Over the last year, as Pakistan’s economy has slowed down, it has shot up to PKR 134. The franchises want to peg the rate or pay in Pakistani rupees at the same rate when the contracts were signed.In 2015, the PCB had sold the first five PSL franchises for USD 93 million for a ten-year period. Karachi was the most expensive, with the ARY media group shelling out USD 26 million for ownership. Lahore was sold for USD 25 million, Peshawar for USD 16 million, Islamabad for USD 15 million and Quetta for USD 11 million.PCB’s new title rights deal with HBL, at USD 14.3 million, is nearly three times bigger than the last deal in 2015. But the renewal is pegged at the same dollar rate signed three years ago, an option not offered to franchises.