Condolences pour in over untimely death of Vijay Raghavendra's wife Spandana
Bengaluru: The untimely death of Spandana, the wife of renowned Kannada film actor Vijay Raghavendra, in Bangkok on Monday has left Karnataka in mourning. Dignitaries, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, have offered their heartfelt condolences to the grieving family.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his shock on Twitter, stating, "I am shocked by the untimely death of Spandana, wife of popular Kannada actor Vijay Raghavendra. I pray for Spandana's soul to rest in peace. I offer my condolences to the bereaved families of Vijay Raghavendra and BK Shivaram."
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar tweeted his condolences, saying, "I am deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death of Spandana Raghavendra, wife of famous Kannada actor Vijaya Raghavendra, in Bangkok. They had met me recently and wished me well. I pray for Spandana's soul to rest in peace. My condolences to Spandana's family and friends."
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa also posted his sympathy on Twitter, "The news of the untimely death of famous Kannada film artiste Vijay Raghavendra's wife Spandana has come as a shock to me and I pray for her soul to rest in peace. I also pray to God to give the family and friends of Spandana courage to bear the pain of separation. Om Shanti."
Labour Minister Santhosh Lad, expressing his condolences, tweeted, "Sad to hear of the news that Spandana, wife of famous Kannada film actor Vijay Raghavendra, passed away due to a heart attack. Let us pray to the Lord to give strength to Vijay Raghavendra and his family to recover from this shock."
Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan also expressed his grief on Twitter, "The death of Spandana, wife of popular Kannada artiste Vijay Raghavendra, has come as a shock and is saddening. I pray that the departed soul may rest in peace. May God bless Vijay Raghavendra and his family members with strength to bear this grief."
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai tweeted, "I am shocked to hear the news of the death of famous Kannada film actor Vijay Raghavendra's wife Spandana. I pray that God may grant eternal peace to the soul of the deceased and strength to actor Vijay Raghavendra and B.K. Shivaram's families to bear the grief of the separation."
The sudden loss of Spandana has deeply saddened the people of Karnataka, and prayers are being offered for her soul to rest in peace, while support and strength are extended to the bereaved family during this difficult time.
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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.
