Tensions at Real Madrid boiled over on Thursday (7) when Uruguayan Federico Valverde and Frenchman Aurélien Tchouaméni were involved in a fight in the dressing room. Valverde was hospitalized with a deep cut on his head, according to multiple club sources.
The incident occurred at the Valdebebas training center, a day after an earlier altercation between the pair.
A Real Madrid spokesman said he would not comment on what goes on inside the dressing room, but the club later said disciplinary proceedings had been opened against both players.
“Real Madrid announces that, following the incidents that occurred this morning during the first team’s training, it has decided to open disciplinary proceedings against our players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni. The club will announce the results of both cases in due course, after the relevant internal procedures have been completed,” the text reads.
The seriousness of the episode also led to an emergency meeting attended by club officials, and no player left the training center for more than an hour.
The objective was to try to contain an escalation of tensions that left nerves on edge and the cast divided at a delicate moment.
Earlier this week, defender Álvaro Carreras acknowledged being involved in a heated argument with a teammate, but insisted it was “an isolated, unimportant incident that has now been resolved.” Spanish media had reported a conflict with German defender Antonio Rüdiger.
Madrid’s season fell apart on several fronts. Coach Xabi Alonso was fired mid-campaign, and his successor, Álvaro Arbeloa, was unable to prevent the team from heading for a second consecutive year without titles.
Following their Champions League quarter-final exit to Bayern Munich, Real are 11 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona with four games remaining. The teams face each other at Camp Nou on Sunday (10), in a classic that could seal the title for the Catalans.
