FIR against SFJ's Pannun for threatening to turn Cricket World Cup to 'World Terror Cup'
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Gujarat police have registered an FIR against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), for threatening to turn the Cricket World Cup, starting on October 5 at Narendra Modi stadium here, into "World Terror Cup", an official said on Friday.
In the first information report (FIR), the cyber crime branch of the Ahmedabad police said that people from across the country have received Pannun's threat via a pre-recorded voice message sent from a foreign number.
The complaint filed by sub-inspector H N Prajapati of the cyber crime branch said that it has come to their notice that many people received a pre-recorded threat voice message from the phone number +447418343648.
Many recipients of the threat message reported it to the police through various mediums, the FIR said.
The pre-recorded message said that October 5 would not be the start of the Cricket World Cup but the beginning of "World Terror Cup". Shikhs for Justice is going to storm Ahmedabad with Khalistani flags, it said.
"We are going to take revenge of Shaheed Nijjar's assassination. We are going to use ballots against your bullets. We are going to use vote against your violence. Remember 5th October, it will not be be World Cricket Cup it will be beginning of World Terror Cup... message from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun," said the FIR quoting the transcribed message.
According to the FIR, "Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is a designated as a terrorist by the Government of India and is running an organisation called Sikhs for Justice from a foreign country.".
Pannun is trying to spread fear, create enmity between Sikhs and other communities of the country and indulge in terror activities in the country, said the FIR, adding that earlier too, he had indulged in such nefarious activities, especially on the social media platform Twitter, now X.
The Cricket World Cup 2023 will begin at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi stadium on October 5.
The threat message from Pannun comes amid a diplomatic stand-off between India and Canada over the alleged assassination of designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on June 18.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
