Kumaraswamy regrets tiff over Nirmala visit to Kodagu
Bengaluru, Aug 26 : Terming the controversy over Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's visit to Karnataka's flood-hit Kodagu district on Friday as unfortunate, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Sunday regretted the inconveniences caused to her.
"Though the state government and the district administration have ensured and followed protocol despite the tough situation in the region during her (Nirmala) visit, it was unfortunate that the Defence Minister had to go through certain inconveniences which we regret," said Kumaraswamy in a post on the social media platforms Facebook and Twitter.
Admitting that he was pained at the turn of events, the Chief Minister said he spoke to her on the reported tiff over protocol with state Tourism and district in-charge Minister Sa Ra Mahesh.
"I believe this is the time to forget the differences and forgive each other and join hands in the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people. The grave situation in the district warrants it. I look forward to the support of the central government, especially of the Defence Minister," said Kumaraswamy.
Lauding Nirmala Sitharaman for helping the state government in the rescue operations and visiting the flood-hit areas, the Chief Minister said the state and relief agencies were jointly working to rehabilitate the flood-hit people with the Union government's support.
"Mahesh has tirelessly worked to oversee the rescue and relief operations by being with the teams on the ground since day one," he said.
Kumaraswamy's comments came a day after the Defence Ministry clarified reports in the media that Nirmala Sitharaman was "angry with Mahesh" at the flood-review meeting at Madikeri over the issue of protocol.
The media reports also alleged that Mahesh made personal remarks against the Minister.
The controversy arose when Mahesh objected to the Defence Minister meeting ex-servicemen, as her visit was for reviewing the rescue and relief operations in which the Army, Navy and Air Force were also involved.
"On completion of the field visit, as per the programme, the Defence Minister was interacting with ex-servicemen who had also been affected by the floods when the (state) Minister insisted that meeting with the officials be conducted first," said the Ministry in a statement.
When Nirmala Sitharaman clarified to Mahesh that ex-servicemen's welfare was part of her ministry and her meeting with them was scheduled in the programme by the district administration, the latter insisted that she stop the interaction and proceed to the review meeting with the officials.
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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.
