5,532 fresh coronavirus cases reported in Karnataka, 84 deaths
Bengaluru: Karnataka clocked 5,532 fresh COVID-19 cases while 84 people died of the virus, pushing the tally of confirmed cases in the state to 1.34 lakh on Sunday, the state health department said.
On Sunday, 4,077 people were discharged, taking the total discharges to 57,725 whereas there were 74,590 active cases including 638 in the ICU, the department said in a statement.
The spurt in cases was led by Bengaluru Urban district, which recorded 2,105 fresh cases and 21 deaths.
The city has so far reported 59,501 cases and 1,077 deaths due to coronavirus.
According to the health bulletin, 377 fresh cases were reported in Ballari, 238 each in Kalaburagi and Mysuru, 212 in Raichur, 182 in Udupi, 181 in Dharwad, 178 in Davangere, 172 in Belagavi, 163 in Dakshina Kannada, 146 in Haveri, 142 in Hassan, 135 in Bidar and 113 in Vijayapura.
The department said 10 each COVID deaths took place in Mysuru and Dakshina Kannada, eight each in Dharwad, six in Kalaburagi and four in Shivamogga.
A majority of the victims had Severe Acute Respiratory Illness or Influenza-Like Illness.
The department said as on Saturday, 1.19 lakh primary contacts and 1.07 lakh secondary contacts are under observation.
The state has so far conducted 14.19 lakh tests including 33,017 on Sunday.
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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.
