Bangladesh opts against sending players to India for T20 World Cup
Wants matches to be shifted to Sri Lanka
Dhaka: In the wake of the controversy regarding Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s ouster from the Indian Premier League (IPL) contract by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) amid increased tension between the neighboring nations over the recent cases of lynching in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided against sending its players to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
It has also now been confirmed that, while the BCB is not pulling out of the World Cup, it no longer finds it safe to send its players to India and wants the World Cup matches to be shifted from India to Sri Lanka.
Asif Nazrul, an advisor to Bangladesh and overseer of the country’s Youth and Sports Ministry, had posted on Facebook also confirmed that the BCB had decided against travelling to India for the T20 World Cup. “Bangladesh will not go to India to play the World Cup. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has taken this decision today. We welcome this decision, which has been taken in the context of the aggressive communal policies of the Indian Cricket Board,” he said.
The KKR, which had added the name of the 30-year-old left-arm pacer into its list of players for Rs 9.2 crore, had released the cricketer as instructed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Nazrul, therefore, expressed his apprehension regarding the safety of the other players in India and supported a change of venue for the matches.
“I have instructed the Cricket Control Board to submit a written explanation of the entire matter to the ICC. The Board should clearly state that when a Bangladeshi cricketer, despite being under contract, is unable to play in India, the Bangladesh national team cannot feel safe travelling there to participate in the World Cup. I have also directed the Board to request that Bangladesh's World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka,” Nazrul had written in an earlier Facebook post.
Nazrul has asked the advisor to stop broadcasting IPL matches in Bangladesh. “Additionally, I have asked the Adviser for Information and Broadcasting to suspend the broadcast of IPL matches in Bangladesh. Under no circumstances will we tolerate any disrespect toward Bangladesh cricket, Bangladeshi cricketers, or Bangladesh itself,” he added.
Bangladesh will play against the West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, England on February 14, and Nepal on February 17. The matches are to be held at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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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.
