AAP, BJP councillors clash over aldermen appointment during first meeting of new MCD House
New Delhi (PTI): AAP and BJP councillors clashed over the appointment of 10 aldermen by Lt Governor VK Saxena as the first meeting of the newly elected Municipal Corporation of Delhi House began on Friday.
The meeting began with BJP councillor Satya Sharma being administered the oath as presiding officer for the elections to the posts of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) mayor and deputy mayor.
After Sharma invited alderman Manoj Kumar to take his oath, AAP MLAs and councillors began to protest. Many also rushed to the well of the House, shouting slogans.
The BJP councillors retaliated by raising slogans against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal as AAP members returned fire by sloganeering against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The AAP has alleged that Saxena has appointed BJP leaders who were not experts in civic issues as aldermen.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a letter to Saxena on Thursday, also registered his protest on the issue.
The MCD House comprises 250 elected councillors. The BJP's seven Lok Sabha MPs from Delhi and the AAP's three Rajya Sabha MPs and 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly Speaker will also participate in the elections to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor.
Six members of the standing committee will also be elected.
The Congress, which has nine councillors, has decided not to take part in the voting.
Heavy deployment of police was in place at the Civic Centre building, the MCD headquarters, where the meeting is underway.
#WATCH | Delhi: Huge ruckus at Civic Centre, before the commencement of voting for the Delhi Mayor elections, regarding swearing-in of nominated councillors. pic.twitter.com/BCz3HLC9qL
— ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2023
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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.
