BRS to support JD(S) in Karnataka Assembly polls
Hyderabad (PTI): The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana is extending support to the JD(S) in Karnataka Assembly elections and it chose not to field any candidate in the May 10 polls as its friendly party is in the fray.
The BRS, previously called TRS, renamed itself in December last year to make a foray into national politics and it had toyed with the idea of contesting Karnataka elections.
However, it chose not to field candidates in the Assembly polls as JD(S) is its friend and also because it lacked adequate time to plan for fielding nominees in the elections, BRS sources said on Friday.
The process of filing nominations for the May 10 election in Karnataka came to an end on Thursday.
The party was not in favour of contesting the elections without adequate preparation and planning, the sources said, pointing out the efforts being made by BRS to gain a foothold in neighbouring Maharashtra.
BRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has so far addressed two rallies in Nanded region in Maharashtra and is slated to address a public meeting at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad) on April 24.
Rao may consider campaigning in support of JD(S) candidates if there is a request from the latter but no decision has been taken. BRS is also concerned about the view that its campaign may benefit the BJP in Karnataka following a split in anti-BJP votes, the sources said.
Former Karnataka chief minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy was in attendance in Hyderabad earlier for the events regarding the name change of TRS to BRS.
The Election Commission approved the name change of TRS as BRS in December, 2022.
The BRS appears keen on expanding and fielding candidates in Maharashtra and it has admitted a large number of activists and leaders, separately in groups, in the last couple of months as part of efforts to establish the party organisation in the western state.
BRS, however, has not been a serious contender in any state other than Telangana so far. It did not contest the 2022 Assembly elections in Gujarat and other states.
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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.
