Haj 2022 online application process starts; Naqvi announces enhanced facilities
Mumbai(PTI): The online application process for Haj 2022 began on Monday with Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announcing significant reforms and enhanced facilities for the pilgrimage.
While announcing Haj 2022 at Haj House in south Mumbai, Naqvi said the entire Haj process will be 100 per cent digital/online.
The last date of applying for Haj 2022 is January 31, 2022. People can also apply through the Haj mobile app, a statement quoting the minister said.
Indian Haj pilgrims will promote vocal for local' and go there with indigenous products, Naqvi said. Haj pilgrims used to buy bed sheets, pillows, towels, umbrellas and other items in Saudi Arabia in foreign currency but this time, most of these goods will be bought in India in Indian currency.
These goods will be available at almost 50 per cent lower prices in comparison to their cost in Saudi Arabia and will be given to pilgrims at their respective embarkation points in India.
India sends 2 lakh Haj pilgrims every year and this arrangement will help save crores of rupees of Indian Haj pilgrims, the minister said.
The selection process of Haj pilgrims will be done as per coronavirus protocols and norms to be decided by Indian and Saudi Arabian governments, he said.
The embarkation points have been reduced from 21 to 10 for Haj 2022, Naqvi said. These are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Cochin, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Srinagar. Over 3,000 women had applied for Haj 2020 and 2021 under the without Mehram (male companion) category, he said. Their applications will be eligible for Haj 2022 also, he said, adding other women can also apply for Haj 2022 under the without Mehram category, under which they will be exempted from the lottery system. PTI VT
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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.
