Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has personally intervened after Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni were involved in a physical altercation at the club’s training ground, according to reports from SPORTbible and The Athletic.
Training ground clash escalates
Valverde and Tchouameni were involved in an altercation after players had returned to the dressing room following training on Thursday.
During the incident, Uruguay international Valverde reportedly fell to the floor and cut his head on a table, requiring immediate medical attention.
According to The Athletic, tensions between the pair had already begun during training on Wednesday, before escalating significantly after Thursday’s session.
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What initially started as a “verbal dispute” then became physical, with Valverde later taken to hospital for assessment over a suspected head injury before returning to the training ground later that day.
Spanish outlet Marca reported that the incident triggered an “emergency crisis meeting” inside the dressing room, attended by Real Madrid CEO Jose Angel Sanchez.
Real Madrid are now expected to take disciplinary action against both players, although the exact punishment has not yet been confirmed.
Perez holds urgent talks with both players
Football journalist Fabrizio Romano has since revealed that club president Florentino Perez was informed immediately about the incident and personally spoke to both Valverde and Tchouameni to hear their versions of events.
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“This is involving everyone in this emergency situation at Real Madrid,” Romano explained.
“It’s involving the management, it’s involving the staff, it’s involving the players, it’s involving the manager.
“But it’s also involving the president. Florentino Perez is aware of the situation.
“My understanding is that even Florentino Perez has already spoken to the players. So there was already that conversation between them.”
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Romano added that Real Madrid consider the incident completely unacceptable internally.
“Obviously, it’s unacceptable for Real Madrid, for the president, for all the people who represent Real Madrid, to have these sorts of situations,” he continued.
The journalist also suggested that frustration over leaked reports regarding the pair’s initial disagreement contributed to tensions escalating further.
“One of the problems between the two of them is how the news got leaked [about their initial altercation] yesterday. This is why the fight continued today.
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“The news got leaked by Marca, and let’s say they were not happy with that.”
Romano concluded by stating that disciplinary measures are currently being discussed by the club hierarchy.
“Florentino Perez, according to my own information, already spoke to them and people at Real Madrid. They are deciding on disciplinary measures.
“There will be measures, there will be official statements. I expect, for example, the players to react. The players to say something, and clarify their official positions. There are going to be reactions to this story.”
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Sources: www.sportbible.com, www.nytimes.com
