Ahmedabad, Jan 8: Three persons, including two brothers, were arrested under the Epidemic Diseases Act after a large number of people turned up for the birthday party of their pet dog in violation of the pandemic guidelines here in Gujarat, police said on Saturday.

Chirag Patel and his brother Urvish Patel, both residents of Krishnagar in Ahmedabad city, had thrown a big party on the birthday of their pet dog, Abby, an Indian Spitz, along with their friend, Divyesh Mehariya, a police official said.

Besides the family members of the trio, their friends also joined the celebration organised on a plot Friday night in large numbers. COVID-19 guidelines related to social distancing and wearing face masks were violated at this function, he said.

A popular folk singer performed at the event, and a cake was also cut, the official added.

An FIR was registered at Nikol police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Epidemic Diseases Act, following which Chirag Patel, Urvish Patel and Divyesh Mehariya were arrested.

Gujarat reported 5,396 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, out of which 2,281 cases were reported from Ahmedabad city alone. The city has 8,700 active cases, as per the health department.

To contain the transmission, the Gujarat government on Friday brought in additional curbs and extended the night curfew timings in cities.

As per the new guidelines, no more than 400 persons are allowed in an open space for political, social or religious functions.

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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.