Paul Pogba debuts for Monaco in first game in over two years
Paris (AP): Former Manchester United and Juventus star Paul Pogba made his Monaco debut on Saturday, playing his first minutes in over two years.
The 32-year-old Pogba came on in the 85th minute of a 4-1 loss at Rennes in the French league.
Once a standout world champion for France, the midfielder saw his career derailed by injuries, off-field problems and a doping ban.
He wept when he signed his contract with Monaco during the offseason on a two-year deal in a bid to relaunch his career. He recently overcame a minor ankle injury and resumed training with Monaco during the international break.
A total of 811 days had passed since his last game, when he made his last appearance for Juventus on Sept. 3, 2023.
At his peak, Pogba helped his country win the 2018 World Cup, scoring in the final when France beat Croatia 4-2. He spent most of his career between United and Juventus, finally leaving the Italian club in November 2024.
In 2016, Pogba became the then-most expensive soccer player in history when he returned to United from Juventus for a fee of 105 million euros ($116 million).
The biggest blow to his career came in February 2024 when he was initially banned for four years by Italy's anti-doping court after he tested positive for testosterone while at still at Juventus. In October 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced his ban to 18 months.
PSG back topParis Saint-Germain beat Le Havre 3-0 at home to move back to the top of the standings ahead of next week's Champions League game against Tottenham.
Lee Kang-in, João Neves and Bradley Barcola all scored for Luis Enrique's side as it move two points ahead of Marseille and Lens.
Lens beat Strasbourg 1-0 to pull level with Marseille in second place.
Defender Ismaelo Ganiou scored his first league goal in the 69th of a game that both teams ended with 10 men. Strasbourg was down a man when Valentin Barco saw a red card in the 77th. Lens lost Morgan Guilavogui red card in extra time.
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Jai Bhim: Slogan that energised Dalits was first given at this central Maharashtra village
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): 'Jai Bhim': These two words have come to symbolise the awakening and empowerment of the Dalit community in independent India, but not many people know how it originated.
The slogan, which also encapsulates the immense reverence in which Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is held, was first raised at the Makranpur Parishad, a conference organised at Makranpur village in Kannad teshil of today's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in Maharashtra.
Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's Constitution, died on December 6, 1956.
Bhausaheb More, the first president of the Scheduled Castes Federation of Marathwada, organised the first Makranpur Parishad on December 30, 1938.
Dr Ambedkar spoke at the conference and asked the people not to support the princely state of Hyderabad under which much of central Maharashtra then fell, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Pravin More, Bhausaheb's son.
"When Bhausaheb stood up to speak, he said every community has its own deity and they greet each other using the name of that deity. Dr Ambedkar showed us the path of progress, and he is like God to us. So henceforth, we should say 'Jai Bhim' while meeting each other. The people responded enthusiastically. A resolution accepting 'Jai Bhim' as the community's slogan was also passed," More told PTI.
"My father came in contact with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in his early years. Bhausaheb was aware of the atrocities the Nizam state committed on Dalits. He told Ambedkar about these atrocities, including the pressure to convert. Dr Ambedkar was strongly against these atrocities, and he decided to attend the 1938 conference," he said.
As Ambedkar was against the princely states, he was banned from giving speeches in the Hyderabad state but was allowed to travel through its territories. The Shivna river formed the border between Hyderabad and British India. Makranpur was chosen as the venue for the first conference because it was on the banks of Shivna but lay in the British territory, ACP More said.
The stage made of bricks, from where Dr Ambedkar addressed the conference, still stands. The conference is organised on December 30 every year to carry forward Ambedkar's thought, and the tradition was not discontinued even in 1972 when Maharashtra experienced one of the worst droughts in it history.
"My grandmother pledged her jewellery for the conference expenses. People from Khandesh, Vidarbha and Marathwada attended it. Despite a ban imposed by the Nizam's police, Ambedkar's followers crossed the river to attend the event," said ACP More.
"This is the 87th year of Makranpur Parishad. We have deliberately retained the venue as it helps spread Ambedkar's thought in rural areas," he added.
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