Real Madrid’s Fede Valverde was taken to hospital to have stitches after a second confrontation with teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni in two days, as the club’s collapse into chaos continues.
Players held an emergency meeting and Real have opened disciplinary proceedings after a physical fight, with blood being spilled and Valverde being taken for treatment.
It is the latest episode in a catalogue of problems at the club; they will almost certainly end a second successive season without a trophy, Álvaro Arbeloa will not continue as coach, and the dressing room divide widens by the day. Real travel to Barcelona for the clásico on Sunday.
Valverde and Tchouaméni almost came to blows during an argument in training on Wednesday which continued into the dressing room, with teammates intervening to separate the pair as they pushed each other. Then, 24 hours later, the sports newspaper Marca revealed that on Thursday Tchouaméni and Valverde fought, resulting in Valverde falling and hitting his head, opening up a gash.
Valverde was taken to the medical department at Valdebebas and from there to the nearby Hospital Blua Sanitas Valdebebas, where he was given stitches. Cameras caught the 27-year-old’s car going back and forth from the training ground, although the Uruguay midfielder was not visible inside.
The incident began when Valverde refused to shake Tchouaméni’s hand as he arrived at training, accusing him of having leaked the story of the previous day’s fight. The France midfielder denied doing so and insisted that the accusations had to stop, but Valverde persisted. With Valverde not letting up, even as other players tried to calm the situation down, he tussled with Tchouaméni. Valverde fell and connected with the corner of a table.
As he was taken for treatment, an emergency meeting was held in the dressing room. Valverde was back at home on Thursday afternoon. The club captain, Dani Carvajal, was seen returning to Valdebebas for further discussions with members of the club. Real released a statement on Thursday evening that read: “Real Madrid confirm that, following the incident that occurred this morning in the first-team training session, it has decided to open disciplinary proceedings against our players, Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni. The club will communicate the conclusions at the appropriate time, once the relevant internal proceedings are complete.”
The club’s medical department then issued a statement, which added: “After the tests carried out by the Real Madrid medical services on our player Federico Valverde, they have diagnosed head trauma. Valverde is at home in good condition, where he should rest for between 10 and 14 days, per the medical protocol for this diagnosis.”
In a statement on Instagram late on Thursday, Valverde wrote: “At no point did my team-mate hit me, and I didn’t hit him either, although I understand it’s easier for you to believe we came to blows or that it was intentional, but that didn’t happen. I feel that my anger about the situation, my frustration at seeing some of us struggling to get through the end of the season on our last legs, giving it our all, pushed me to the point of arguing with a team-mate.”
The long statement added: “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry because this situation hurts me, this moment we’re going through is painful. Real Madrid is one of the most important things in my life and I can’t be indifferent to it. The result is a build-up of things that culminate in a senseless fight, damaging my image and leaving room for doubt - for people to fabricate stories, slander me, and sensationalise an incident.”
The flashpoint comes a few days after the left-back Álvaro Carreras confirmed that he had been hit by Antonio Rüdiger in an incident he said had been “resolved”.
Kylian Mbappé confronted a member of Arbeloa’s backroom staff during another recent session and had to defend himself against criticism that he travelled to Italy with his girlfriend while he was recovering from injury.
Midfielder Dani Ceballos has been left out of the squad after a confrontation with Arbeloa, and the beginning of the end for the former head coach Xabi Alonso came when Vinícius Júnior stormed off during the clásico in October.
Back then Real were five points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga. Going into this Sunday’s game they are 11 points behind their bitter rivals with four matches remaining. If they do not win, Barcelona will be crowned champions.
