Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has labeled locker room leaks as a betrayal of the club badge following an ugly brawl in the Real Madrid camp ahead of the final El Clasico of the season.
Ahead of the match against FC Barcelona, Arbeloa said that while the players involved had apologized for the incident, he was deeply disappointed that details from the dressing room had become public.
“To reveal things that happen in the dressing room feels like a betrayal and an act of disloyalty to this badge,” he said.
Real Madrid players Aurelian Tchouameni and Federico Valverde were involved in a heated argument before the game against Barcelona. The fight reportedly left Valverde with a cut on his head.
Arbeloa apologized for the incident and thanked the club for acting quickly and maintaining transparency.
“I want to say two things. First of all, I am very proud of the decisiveness, speed and transparency with which the club acted,” Marco quoted the head coach as saying.
“And on the other hand, that the players have acknowledged their mistake, expressed their remorse and asked for forgiveness. That’s enough for me. What I won’t do is burn them at the stake because they don’t deserve it.”
REAL MADRID GIVEN A HUGE FINE TO THE BRAWLERS
Tchouameni and Valverde were reportedly fined €500,000 for unruly behaviour, which amounts to nearly Rs5.5 million. Both players also had to publicly apologize to the team and fans.
The Real Madrid manager also took responsibility for the team’s poor season, suggesting that frustration within the squad may have contributed to tempers running high.
“I’m the first one to take responsibility for the fact that we’ve certainly not been up to par this season. Obviously, frustration and anger can get you into situations you don’t want to. Now we have to look at the game. That’s what we have to focus on now. If you want to blame someone, here I am,” he said.
The former defender tried to put the incident into context, insisting that dressing room clashes are not uncommon in elite football.
“I had a teammate who picked up a golf club and hit another with it. What happens in the Real Madrid dressing room should stay in the Real Madrid dressing room and that hurts me the most,” Arbeloa said.
“These are situations that have always happened, but I’m not excusing it, far from it. It was an incident and we were unlucky that Fede ended up with a scratch, it’s more to do with the unluckiness of what actually happened. They apologized and we have to think about the match from that.”
Real Madrid play Barcelona on May 11 at 12:30 PM IST. A win for Barcelona would seal this year’s LaLiga title.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
09 May 2026 18:37 IST
