Eminent artist, art educator Syed Asif Ali dies at 54 while on duty in Alake
Mangaluru: Renowned artist and senior art educator Syed Asif Ali passed away following a cardiac arrest in Mangaluru on Monday, January 5, 2026. Ali collapsed while on duty at Mahalasa College of Visual Art, Alake, where he had been serving for nearly three decades. He was 54.
Born on February 8, 1972, in Molakalmuru of Chitradurga district, Ali completed his General Diploma in Fine Art from Ravindra Kalaniketana, Tumakuru, in 1995 and later earned a Master of Visual Art degree from Kannada University, Hampi, in 2008.Ali joined Mahalasa College of Visual Art in 1996 and was heading the Department of Applied Art at the time of his death. Ali was admired as an accomplished artist, he was best known for his vivid, on-location watercolour landscape paintings. As a teacher, he was deeply respected for his close mentorship and personal engagement with students.
During a career spanning over 30 years, Ali participated in several national and regional exhibitions. He featured in the Mysuru Dasara exhibition on ten occasions and took part in Karnataka Lalithakala Academy exhibitions five times, he also conducted and participated in numerous art camps, training young artists across the state.
His contributions to the field were recognised with several prestigious honours, including the Karnataka Lalithakala Academy State Award, the Camlin National Award, and nine Mysuru Dasara Awards.
Ali’s mortal remains were kept for public homage at Mahalasa College of Visual Art and later at the Kodialguthu Centre for Art and Culture on Tuesday evening, before being taken to his native Molakalmuru for burial as per tradition.
The Mangaluru chapter of INTACH and the Art Kanara Trust expressed deep condolences over the demise of the veteran artist.
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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.
