Sri Lankan Muslims permitted to fly for Haj; must transfer USD 1,500 from overseas
Colombo, Jun 9: The Sri Lankan government has decided to permit its Muslim citizens to travel to Saudi Arabia to peform Haj on condition that they pay USD 1,500 in foreign currency from abroad without affecting the nation's crisis-hit economy, according to media reports on Thursday.
The government has agreed to allow Haj pilgrims despite the current economic crisis, following a meeting of Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Vidura Wickremanayake on Tuesday with the Haj Travel Operator's Associations.
It was decided in the meeting to fulfil the request of pilgrims by asking them to pay for their Haj package in foreign currencies, Daily News Lanka newspaper reported.
Sri Lanka's travel operators had earlier decided to cancel the Haj pilgrimage this year due to the worst economic crisis facing the debt-ridden country. They said cancelling the Haj this year could save the island nation precious foreign exchange.
Saudi Arabia had approved a quota of 1,585 Haj pilgrims from Sri Lanka for the year 2022, out of the one million foreign and domestic Muslims allowed to travel to the holy city of Makkah in the pilgrimage season.
Stressing that Muslims in Sri Lanka performed their annual pilgrimage every year without any interruptions except for the last two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Wickremanayake said he had requested the central bank of Sri Lanka to work out the modalities of the pilgrimage under new guidelines.
Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs on its official website asked pilgrims to transfer USD 1,500 per person from abroad to a designated foreign currency account in Sri Lanka to perform Haj.
According to the statement, Haj Tour Operators' Associations have been advised to make arrangements as per the guidelines of the central bank and to levy a reasonable amount as the charges for Haj pilgrimage this year.
Sri Lankans interested in performing the Haj this year were requested to confirm their participation before Friday (June 10), the country's news website News1st cited the statement as saying.
The report also said Sri Lanka had conveyed the decision to the government of Saudi Arabia through appropriate diplomatic channels.
Sri Lanka has been facing the worst economic crisis since its Independence from Britain in 1948, partly due to lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.
"The whole Haj operation of Sri Lankan pilgrims will cost around USD 10 million, which is a big amount compared with the current economic situation of the country," Ahkam Uwais, chairman of the National Hajj Committee under Sri Lanka's Department of Muslim Religious Affairs, had earlier said while conveying the decision of forgoing the pilgrimage this year.
Muslims make up almost 10 per cent of Sri Lanka's 22 million -- predominantly Buddhist -- population. The Haj, one of Islam's five main pillars of faith, is organised by umbrella groups of government-licensed operators - the only tour organisers available to prospective pilgrims.
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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.
