Real Madrid have imposed fines of €500,000 ($589,000) each on Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni following their explosive bust-up at the training ground Thursday.
The two got into a fight at the end of a training session, and the altercation led to Valverde being taken to the hospital with a cut on his forehead. He was subsequently diagnosed with a “cranioencephalic trauma” and has been ruled out of this weekend’s Clásico against Barcelona.
The fight came just a day after another incident on the previous day, and Madrid had announced disciplinary proceedings had been begun into the two players.
“During the appearance, the players expressed their deep regret for what happened and apologized to each other,” the LaLiga club said in a statement on Friday.
“They have also apologized to the club, their teammates, the coaching staff and the fans, and both have made themselves available to Real Madrid to accept whatever sanction the club deems appropriate.
“Given these circumstances, Real Madrid has decided to impose a financial penalty of five hundred thousand euros on each player, thus concluding the corresponding internal procedures.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday. Madrid have to win or Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
Valverde was not at practice as he recovers from the head knock.
A source told ESPN that the fight broke out at the end of training following a practice match with some heavy challenges. Tchouaméni went to the changing room, and Valverde then entered, looking very tense. That’s where they got into a fight, the source said.
The Uruguay international addressed the incident, without naming Tchouaméni, in a statement he on Instagram and said it had been “blown out of proportion.”
“My teammate didn’t hit me, nor did I hit him. Although I understand that for you it might be easier to believe that we beat the hell out of each other or that he intentionally injured me, that is not what happened,” Valverde said.
“I am truly sorry for this situation. It gives me pain. It hurts to see what we are currently going through.
“Real Madrid is one of the most important things in my life, and I cannot remain indifferent to it. This outcome is the culmination of various factors that ultimately resulted in a senseless altercation, one that damages my reputation and leaves room for doubt, allowing for fabrications, defamation, and the sensationalizing of what was merely an accident.”
Madrid’s dressing room has been fraught with friction in a season that is likely to end without silverware for the second successive year. Barcelona could seal the league title on Sunday if they avoid defeat at the Camp Nou.
Sources told ESPN that centre-back Antonio Rüdiger was involved in a heated altercation with a teammate at Valdebebas. ESPN did not reveal the name of the other person involved at the time, but Álvaro Carreras himself confirmed in a statement that he had had an altercation with a teammate.
In that report, ESPN also revealed other arguments over the past few weeks between Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa and several of his players, including Dani Ceballos and Raúl Asencio. Club captain Dani Carvajal also reportedly doesn’t get along with Arbeloa.
Following Alonso’s sacking, ESPN revealed that the manager left Real Madrid with friction toward three key players in the dressing room: Vinícius Júnior, Valverde and Jude Bellingham.
Other sources told ESPN that in the last few weeks there have also been some incidents involving another star of the team, Kylian Mbappé, with members of Arbeloa’s staff.
Madrid, meanwhile, are still searching for what will be their fourth manager in the past two years.
Regarding this, sources have informed ESPN that there are differing views between those responsible for selecting the new manager and that there is a long list of candidates, including Jose Mourinho, Jürgen Klopp, Didier Deschamps, Lionel Scaloni, Massimiliano Allegri and even Unai Emery.–ESPN
