Manipal, Sep 07: "Our coalition government is stable. Instability is only in the media reports. All that is impossible get discussed in the media. Write and discuss as per your pleasure. I will not stop anyone. How much media discusses about the fall of the government, our coalition gets that much stronger, said Chief Minister H.D Kumaraswamy.

The Chief Minister stated this when media persons asked various questions about the state government at a press conference which was called after the review meeting held at ZP auditorium during his first visit to Udupi district after taking charge as the Chief Minister.

When asked if he was worried about Belagavi’s issue, he said, "I never took tension regarding Belagavi’s issue. If I had a tension about Belagavi issue, I would not have come here today. I would have managed politics from Bengaluru. I would not have called a meeting of officials in Udupi,” he said.

The Belagavi PLD Bank election controversy is only debated in the media. There was no issue in that. That was a Congress Party’s internal issue. Everything is going on smoothly. Hence, my government is secured, Kumaraswamy reiterated.

When asked about Siddaramaiah's foreign trip, Kumaraswamy asked “what is wrong in Siddaramaiah going abroad. Has he gone alone? Didn’t the ministers and MLAs go with him? Besides, can I stop them going?” he asked.

Overall, the coalition government led by him is secure, and all ministers are united. Only the opposition parties and the media are looking for insecurity, he added.

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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.