This is not a small feat, keep it up: PM Modi to triumphant shuttlers
New Delhi (PTI): This is not a small feat, Prime Minister Narnedra Modi said while hosting the victorious Thomas Cup team, players of which were chuffed to get the backing of the country's premier.
Few days after congratulating the players over telephone for their historic triumph at the prestigious tournament in Bangkok, PM Modi met in person and interacted with the badminton squad, which also included players from the women's Uber Cup team.
"I congratulate the whole team on behalf of the nation. This is not a small feat. You have done it. There was a time when we were so behind in these tournaments that no one would know here," said Modi.
During his interaction with the champions, an elated PM relived the memory of the historic Thomas Cup campaign where India clinched gold medal by defeating favourites Indonesia.
Modi said that India were able to hoist their flag in the competition after decades and it was not a small achievement.
He congratulated the team for their efforts and said that people earlier never cared for these tournaments, but thanks to the Thomas Cup win, the country took notice of the team and the sport of badminton.
"The 'Yes, we can do it' attitude has become the new strength in the country today. I assure you that the government will give all possible support to our players," said the prime minister.
He congratulated senior player Kidambi Srikanth for the manner in which the 29-year-old had shouldered the responsibility of spearheading the Indian challenge, specially in his final game in the championship.
"I can very proudly say that no other athlete in the world can boast about this, sir. Only we have this privilege of talking to you immediately after winning. First of all, thank you so much, sir," Srikanth said.
"Athletes will be proud to say that we have the backing of our prime minister," he added.
Chief national coach Pullela Gopichand said, "PM follows the players and the sport, and his thoughts connect with the players."
As far as doubles coach Mathias Boe was concerned, he said, "I have a been a player and won medals, but have never been called by my PM."
Star shuttler Lakshya Sen gifted the PM Almora's famous 'bal mithai' after he expressed his interest to savour the taste of the sweets.
"The PM asked for Almora's bal mithai and I got it for him. It is touching that he remembers small things about players," Sen said.
"We feel very motivated whenever you meet us, interact with us. I hope I keep winning medals for India, keep meeting you, and keep getting bal mithai for you," the youngster added.
The PM asked what is there in the soil of Haryana that it keeps producing one great player after another? Woman shuttler Unnati Hooda, who hails from Haryana, was delighted at meeting the PM.
"Sir, what motivates me is that you don't discriminate between the medallists and non medallists," Hooda said.
Doubles specialist Satwiksairaj Rankireddy said the players slept with their medals after the memorable title triumph last week.
India capped off their historic Thomas Cup campaign by blanking 14-time champions Indonesia 3-0 in the finals.
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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.
