Paris: Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi has created history as he won the Ballon d'Or award for a record-extending seventh time late on Monday night.    

Argentine football great Lionel Messi defeated Robert Lewandowski of Polish (Bayern Munich Club) and Georginho (Chelsea) of Italy for this annual award for the best player in the world of football. 

By winning the award, Messi has gone several miles ahead of Portugal’s star striker Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of winning the most Ballons d’Or. 

The 34-year-old Messi now has 7 awards to his name, while 36-year-old Ronaldo has won this honor 5 times. 

Besides this, the star footballer claimed a maiden Copa America title with his country this year and was top scorer in La Liga for the 2020-21 season with 30 goals.

Messi ​​won the Best Player of the Year award for the first time in 2009. He won this title in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and now in 2021. 

Messi joined PSG on a free transfer from Barcelona during the off-season and collected 613 points to finish ahead of Lewandowski (580) and Chelsea's Italy midfielder Jorginho (460) at a star-studded ceremony in Paris. 

For the unversed, Messi and Ronaldo have won this award a total of 12 times since 2008. Thus, both players are dominating the world of football.

Awarded by France Football magazine, the Ballon d'Or has been awarded since 1956.

World soccer's governing body FIFA will test its semi-automated offside technology at the Arab Cup 2021 which begins in Qatar on Tuesday, with Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina saying the competition represented its most important trial so far.

The technology is based on limb tracking and provides the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) with information before the on-field official takes a final call.

"We'll have a camera setup installed under the roof of each stadium," FIFA's Football Technology and Innovation Director Johannes Holzmueller said in a statement on Monday.

"The limb-tracking data extracted from the video will be sent to the operations rooms and the calculated offside line and detected kick-point is provided to the replay operator in almost real time.

"The replay operator then has the opportunity to show it immediately to the VAR. At the FIFA Arab Cup the assistant VAR at a dedicated offside station can immediately validate and confirm the information."
FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger said in April that he hoped the organisation would be ready to implement the technology at next year's World Cup in Qatar.

In March, former Netherlands forward Marco van Basten called on football's lawmakers to consider scrapping the offside rule, saying that the sport would be better off without it.

The game has seen several contentious offside calls since the introduction of the VAR, with growing concern about the time taken and the precision with which offsides are judged.

"Technology is very important and useful in both the pre-match preparation and the decision-making process during matches," Collina said.

"In an offside incident, the decision is made after having analysed not only the players' position but also their involvement in the move.

"Technology – today or tomorrow – can draw a line but the assessment of an interference with play or with an opponent remains in the referee's hands."

SOURCE: REUTERS

Lahore: The University of Law (ULaw) and Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMA Pakistan) on Monday signed a partnership agreement to provide academic options to the members of ICMA Pakistan to study masters degrees awarded by ULaw.

A ceremony was held at ICMA Lahore Office where the agreement was signed and attended by senior officials from both organisations.

As a result of this agreement, ICMA Pakistan’s Associates and Members will be given access to highly specialised masters degrees in Global Accounting and Financial Management at The University of Law at preferential rates.

Students will be able to study these qualifications online whilst pursuing their employment or at one of the 12 teaching locations in the UK and Germany.

Addressing the ceremony, Professor Crisp said: “We are excited about this collaboration in Pakistan. ICMA Pakistan is an organisation of great importance and its members play a pivotal role in the economic development of Pakistan. The University of Law Business School will not just support this agreement but also work closely with ICMA Pakistan to support the employability agenda”

Zia Ul Mustafa Awan speaking on the occasionb said:  “This is our first academic partnership with a top tier University in Great Britain. This partnership is a testament of great work my team is doing to elevate not just the finance profession and ICMA Pakistan but also the profile of our beloved country. “

Present at this event were Professor Peter Crisp, Deputy Vice Chancellor Law, Zia Ul Mustafa Awan, President ICMA Pakistan; Dr Andres Perez, Director Business School, The University of Law; Faisal Azeem, Managing Director - Pakistan, Global University Systems; Kelvin Jones, Director of International, Global University Systems; Sabahat Khan, Chief Operating Officer - Pakistan, Global University Systems and Aamir Ejaz Khan, Executive Director, ICMA Pakistan and senior members of ICMA Pakistan Council.