Happy in my space, god bless him: Saina Nehwal accepts actor Siddharth's apology
New Delhi, Jan 12: Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Wednesday said she is happy that actor Siddharth issued a public apology for his unsavoury remarks on her after she raised concerns about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security breach recently.
Siddharth's reply to the Olympic bronze medallist's tweet on PM Modi's security breach in Punjab attracted much flak a few days ago, with the National Commission for Women (NCW) asking Twitter India to "immediately" block the actor's account.
He issued an apology on Wednesday, calling his comment a "rude joke" and admitted that he could not "justify my tone and words."
Saina said she is glad that he acknowledged that.
"He only said it and he is now apologising. I was surprised to see myself trending on Twitter that day. I haven't spoken to him but I am happy that he apologised," she said on the sidelines of the ongoing India Open here.
"See, it is about women, he shouldn't target a woman like that but it's okay, I am not bothered about it, I am happy in my space and god bless him," she added.
After Saina posted her tweet on PM's security breach, Siddharth had tweeted, "Subtle cock champion of the world Thank God we have protectors of India (sic)."
Following strong criticism on social media for his comment, Siddharth said that "nothing disrespectful was intended".
On Wednesday, Siddharth outrightly apologised.
"Dear Saina, I want to apologise to you for my rude joke that I wrote as a response to a tweet of yours, a few days ago. I may disagree with you on many things but even my disappointment or anger when I read your tweet, cannot justify my tone and words. I know I have more grace in me than that.
"As for the joke... If a joke needs to be explained, then it wasn't a very good joke to begin with. Sorry about a joke that didn't land," he said.
"I hope we can put this behind us and that you will accept my letter. You will always be my Champion. Honestly, Siddharth," he added.
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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.
