Real Madrid have begun disciplinary action after Fede Valverde sustained a head injury following an alleged altercation with his team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni at the club’s training ground.
Reports had emerged on Thursday that Valverde had been hospitalised after an escalation in hostilities with Tchouameni, which began at the training ground on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the two players were involved in a heated altercation stemming from a foul made during the session, which continued on into the dressing room.
But Marca reports that a day later, tempers continued to run hot, with a fight involving the two players said to be ‘very serious’ by a number within the set-up.
Other team-mates of Tchouameni and Valverde are thought to have intervened before the latter was taken to hospital, with the incident described as ‘much worse’ than the earlier spat by the publication’s sources.
Real Madrid confirmed on Thursday evening that it has launched disciplinary action against the two players, while in a separate statement that Valverde will be unable to play for ’10 to 14 days’ after sustaining a head injury.
Hostilities between Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde are believed to have intensified
Real Madrid confirmed Valverde has suffered a head injury and that the club has begun disciplinary action against both players
‘Real Madrid C. F. announces that, following the incidents that occurred this morning during the first team’s training session, it has decided to open disciplinary proceedings against our players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouameni,’ a statement read.
‘The club will provide updates on the resolutions of both proceedings once the corresponding internal procedures have been completed.’
The second statement added: ‘After the tests carried out today on our player Fede Valverde by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a cranioencephalic trauma.
‘Valverde is at home in good condition and will need to rest for 10 to 14 days, as indicated by medical protocols for this diagnosis.’
Valverde later issued a lengthy statement denying either he or Tchouameni had punched each other despite confirming there had been another disagreement.
The Uruguayan claimed his head injury had been caused after he had ‘accidentally hit a table.’
‘Yesterday I had an incident with a teammate during a training session. The fatigue from competition and the frustration made everything seem blown out of proportion,’ Valverde wrote. ‘In a normal locker room, these things can happen and are usually resolved internally without it becoming all public.
‘Clearly, someone here is spreading rumours, and with a season without titles, where Real Madrid is always under scrutiny, everything gets blown out of proportion. ‘Today we had another disagreement. During the argument, I accidentally hit a table, causing a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital. At no point did my teammate hit me, I didn’t hit him either.
Valverde issued a lengthy statement on social media to hit back at ‘rumours, as he insisted neither he nor Tchouameni had punched each other
‘I feel that my anger about the situation, frustration at seeing some of us struggling to get through end of season, giving it our all, pushed me to the point of arguing with a teammate. 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 accumulation of things that culminate in a senseless fight, damaging my image and leaving room for doubt that they will add fuel to the fire of an accident.
‘I wasn’t going to speak out until the end of the season. We were eliminated from the Champions League, and I kept my anger and resentment to myself.
‘We’ve wasted another year, and I wasn’t in a position to be posting on social media when the only face I had to show was on the field, and I feel that’s what I did. That’s why I’m the one who’s most saddened and pained to be going through this situation that prevents me from playing the next match due to medical decisions.
‘I always gave it my all, to the very end, and it hurts me more than anyone not to be able to do so. I am available to the club and my teammates to collaborate on any decision they deem necessary. Thank you.’
Valverde was believed to have refused to shake his French counterpart’s hand upon returning to training following Wednesday’s bust-up, stoking a negative atmosphere that continued into the training session itself.
Spanish newspaper AS had reported Valverde had accused Tchouameni of leaking news of their confrontation to the media, with the pair then exchanging hard tackles during the training session.
After the training session, Tchouameni was alleged to have punched Valverde after the Uruguayan’s accusations continued. Valverde was said to have slipped as a result of the punch, leading to him suffering a cut to the head and briefly losing consciousness.
Valverde reportedly required a wheelchair to be taken to Real Madrid’s medical centre, before being taken to hospital to have the wound stitched up.
On the same day, Mbappe was snapped smiling as he drove away from the training ground
In the aftermath, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa is believed to have called an emergency crisis meeting with a view to breaking the tension.
Hours after the incident, footage of Kylian Mbappe – himself at the centre of swirling drama in the Spanish capital – emerged showing the France captain driving away from the Valdebebas complex appearing to be laughing and smiling widely.
Amid a noxious atmosphere of discontent in Madrid, some of Arbeloa’s players are said to be barely on speaking terms with one another -and six of his stars are thought not to engage with him at all.
Arbeloa for his part has been focusing on damping down speculation that Mbappe had broken club protocol after he was snapped on a yacht in Sardinia with his girlfriend Ester Exposito last weekend.
The 27-year-old was recovering from a muscular issue in his left leg which kept him out of Arbeloa’s side, later returning to training on Monday.
Mbappe himself also released a statement via a spokesperson, stressing that the criticism he was receiving was ‘NOT corresponding to the reality and the work that Kylian does daily for the good of the team’.
Outlets in Spain however reported that amongst his team-mates there was ‘incomprehension’ over the timing of his holiday, and a petition calling for the player to leave the club gathered traction on Wednesday evening.
Before taking the holiday, Mbappe had come in for previous criticism for alleged ‘individualism’ in the dressing room, and reportedly got caught up in a heated confrontation with one of Arbeloa’s assistants during a training session.
The World Cup winner had also been scrutinised for appearing to like and then un-like a post appearing to call for Jose Mourinho to return to Madrid and replace Arbeloa at the end of the season.
Discontent among Real Madrid’s ranks come as the club prepares for the final El Clasico of the season – where defeat could see loathed rivals Barcelona crowned LaLiga champions.
The Catalan giants sit 11 points clear of their old foe, and only Madrid’s victory against Espanyol last weekend stopped Los Blancos from having to give Barcelona a guard of honour when the champions-in-waiting welcome them to Camp Nou on Sunday.
