No resentment, says Shiv Sena MP as son denied ticket for Thane civic polls
Thane (PTI): After the Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, denied ticket to his son for the upcoming civic polls in Thane, local MP Naresh Mhaske said he was not upset over the move.
In a Facebook post, Mhaske said his family would continue to work for the Shiv Sena with full commitment, as he had never questioned the decisions taken under the leadership of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the party.
Mhaske said his son Ashutosh had worked sincerely and quietly to resolve citizens’ grievances. “He worked not for any post, but purely as a Shiv Sainik. Naturally, citizens were keen that my son should continue working in the same area where I served,” he said, adding that people’s disappointment was understandable.
The Lok Sabha member said Ashutosh remains fully committed to the party. “Positions may come or go, but our dedication to the party will never diminish,” he said.
Though the filing of nominations ended on Tuesday, the Shiv Sena is yet to release the names of its candidates for the 137-member Thane Municipal Corporation. The BJP, Shiv Sena’s ally in Thane for the January 15 elections, shared its list of 40 candidates on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena office-bearers from the Yeoor region in Thane resigned en masse on Tuesday, alleging that local candidates had been neglected in the elections. Earlier, youth leaders Swapnil Landge and Nikhil Budjade had distanced themselves from the party over ticket denials.
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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.
