‘Send back Hasina too’: Owaisi questions BCCI move against Bangladeshi pacer
New Delhi: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday questioned what he described as India’s “double standards” over the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to ask Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman, while former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina continues to stay in India.
Owaisi said if the Bangladeshi cricketer could be sent back, the same logic should apply to Hasina, who has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh amid mass protests, NDTV reported on Monday.
"A Bangladeshi woman is living in India, so send her also. Why is she being stopped in the country? Stability in Bangladesh is important for India. China and Pakistan are active in Bangladesh. We have to look into that too," NDTV quoted him as saying.
Referring to past events, the AIMIM leader pointed out that India continued to play cricket with Pakistan even after Pakistan-origin terrorists killed tourists in the Pahalgam terror attack. "After the Pahalgam attack, we played with Pakistan in the Asia Cup," the chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) said.
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The (BCCI) last week ordered Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan-owned (KKR) to release Rahman amid the ongoing violence against Hindus in the neighbouring country. The decision allows the IPL franchise to look for a replacement player ahead of the 2026 season.
The move sparked political reactions, with some leaders, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, cautioning against mixing sports with politics.
Bangladesh has been asking Hasina to return. She and her family have, however, said it would be a sham trial by a radical administration that is also politically hostile to her. India had noted the death sentence given by the so-called 'International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh'.
The BCCI, in its communication to KKR, said releasing the Bangladeshi pacer would give the franchise flexibility to make alternative arrangements if required.
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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.
