Would love to work under Kharge if he wishes to be Karnataka CM: D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Apr 8: Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar on Saturday said he looked forward to work under party national president Mallikarjun Kharge, if the latter becomes the Chief Minister of the state following the assembly elections.
Stating that Kharge is an asset to the state and the country, the party leader said the AICC president's services to Karnataka has given strength to the party here.
"Mallikarjun Kharge is my leader and he is my AICC president. I love to work under him. He is an asset for our state and the country. I am committed to the decision taken by the party," Shivakumar said in a press conference.
He was replying to a query on his interview to a national news channel that he would make way for Kharge to be the Chief Minister of the state, he would be ready to work under.
The Congress state chief said Kharge is 20 years senior to him. "For his seniority and sacrifice...he had resigned in the midnight from the post of floor leader of the house. We know this. Today, a block president has now become AICC president. This cannot be possible in any other party except Congress," Shivakumar said.
He added that Kharge's rise as national president of Congress and his services to the state is giving strength to the party in Karnataka. "In this background, whatever he wishes, I am committed to that," Shivakumar said.
To a query on dissidence in the party after the second list of candidates was announced, the Congress state president said there was no need for it because there will be many roles that could be assigned along with various duties.
Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah have been locked in an indirect game of one-upmanship over the Chief Minister's post in the run-up to the election, which is scheduled for next month.
Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10 and the results will be out on May 13.
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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.
