Real Madrid have decided to fine Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni a staggering Rs 5,56,15,000 (€500,000) following their training ground bust-up. Tchouameni and Valverde, two of Real Madrid’s senior players, got into a nasty row ahead of the team’s crucial match against Barcelona.
The Spanish giants confirmed the punishment in an official statement on Friday after both players appeared before the club’s internal investigator. Madrid said Valverde and Tchouameni expressed “deep regret” over the incident and apologized to each other, the club, their teammates, coaches and fans.
“Given these circumstances, Real Madrid has decided to impose a financial penalty of five hundred thousand euros on each player, concluding the appropriate internal procedures,” the club said in a statement.
VALVERDE VS TCHOUAMENI: WHAT HAPPENED?
The altercation reportedly started during training earlier this week and later escalated in the locker room. According to multiple reports in the Spanish media, a loud challenge during training sparked an altercation between the two midfielders, which quickly turned physical after training ended.
During the confrontation, Valverde reportedly hit his head on a dressing room table after losing his balance in the middle of the brawl. The Uruguayan midfielder was later taken to the hospital for preventive examinations and subsequently released.
Madrid have previously confirmed that Valverde has suffered a traumatic head injury and will require 10 to 14 days of rest according to medical protocols, putting his participation in the upcoming El Clasico in serious doubt.
REAL MADRID BUST-UP BEFORE EL CLASICO
The incident came during an already chaotic season for Los Blancos. Real Madrid are currently trailing Barcelona in the LaLiga title race and were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Bayern Munich earlier this season. The club also suffered an early exit from the Copa del Rey.
The seriousness of the incident reportedly forced senior club officials to hold an emergency meeting at the training ground where the players held out for more than an hour as tensions in the dressing room threatened to rise further.
Valverde previously denied reports that the two players had exchanged blows. In a public statement, he admitted that frustration and fatigue from a tough season contributed to the altercation.
“At no point did my teammate hit me, nor did I hit him,” Valverde said.
“The result is an accumulation of things that ends in a pointless argument.”
The episode drew comparisons to Real Madrid’s infamous training ground clash in 2006 between Robinho and Thomas Gravesen, which saw the Danish midfielder leave the club later that month.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
08 May 2026 21:22 IST
