Actor Sonu Sood's sister joins Congress in Punjab
Chandigarh, Jan 10: Actor-philanthropist Sonu Sood's sister Malvika Sood on Monday joined the Congress, with the party's Punjab chief Navjot Singh Sidhu describing the development as a "game-changer" ahead of the February 14 assembly polls.
She joined the party in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Sidhu.
"It is very rare that a party chief and the chief minister both have gone to someone's home to grant the honour, and she deserves it," Sidhu said.
The joining in was held at the Sood residence in Punjab's Moga district and the actor had last year in November said that his sister would join politics.
Asked if Malvika Sood will fight the election from the Moga assembly constituency, Channi indicated that she would be the party's choice.
"It is a matter of great happiness for us that a young woman who has earned a name for herself by running an NGO and dedicated herself to the people's service is joining our party," Sidhu said while welcoming her into the Congress.
Sonu Sood, who hails from Moga, had earlier also said that his sister has done a lot of "amazing" work in the past.
The actor is known for his humanitarian works, both Sidhu and Channi said while talking to reporters.
Referring to Malvika Sood's joining the Congress, Sidhu said, "In the cricketing world, it is called a game-changer."
"She is an young and educated woman, and her education as software engineer will help her in her life ahead," Sidhu said.
Speaking on the occasion, Malvika Sood said she has taken the political plunge to dedicate herself to serve the people.
Welcoming Malvika Sood Sachar, sister of Social Worker & Actor, @SonuSood , into the party-fold. I am sure Malvika will serve the people with full honesty and integrity and help spread the message of the Congress party at the grass-root level.#SonuSoodWithCongress pic.twitter.com/yqxXV8hHCP
— Charanjit S Channi (@CHARANJITCHANNI) January 10, 2022
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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.
