Sena's count in Assembly gone down, but we are confident of rebels supporting MVA in floor test:Raut
Mumbai(PTI): In the wake of Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde's rebellion, MP Sanjay Raut on Friday admitted that the party's numbers in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly have dwindled, but expressed confidence that the rebel MLAs will support the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine during the floor test, saying that "figures can change any time".
He said the rebel MLAs will face the real test of their loyalty towards the party when they return to Mumbai. Raut also attacked BJP leader Narayan Rane, without naming him, for "threatening" NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
Shinde is currently camping with 37 rebel MLAs of the Sena and nine independents in a Guwahati hotel.
Talking to reporters, Raut, who is Sena's chief spokesperson, admitted that his party's numbers in the Assembly have gone down due to the revolt.
"The rebel group claims to have the required figures and democracy runs on numbers. But figures can change anytime. When the rebels return, it will be a test of their loyalty towards Balasaheb Thackeray and the Shiv Sena," he said.
This is a legal battle. There are some rules and Supreme Court directives, the Sena MP said.
"MVA (comprising Sena, NCP and Congress) is together...We are confident that the rebels will support the MVA during the floor test," he added.
Earlier, talking to PTI, Raut said the party was waiting for the rebels to return to Mumbai.
"Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is confident most of the rebels will return to the party fold. The rebels will have to be back in Mumbai to meet the Governor, followed by a head count and the trust vote," he said.
Taking to Twitter, Raut slammed Union minister Narayan Rane for "threatening" Sharad Pawar.
"Does the BJP approve of such language. Governments will come and go. But Maharashtra will not tolerate such language against Sharad Pawar," he said.
Rane on Thursday took on Pawar, alleging that the latter was threatening rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, and said if anything happened to them in the Maharashtra Assembly, then consequences will have to be faced.
In a series of tweets in Marathi issued in the evening, Rane said, "Sharad Pawar is threatening the (rebel) MLAs that they should come to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. They will definitely come and vote as per their will. If any harm comes to them, it will be difficult to go home."
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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.
