Recently, a dispute between Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni at Real Madrid caused quite a stir and sparked wild speculation about a possible brawl. The club is now trying to smooth things over, but the two feuding players have also been hit with hefty fines.
Real Madrid is facing the wreckage of a season that the Blancos would probably prefer to forget as quickly as possible. The icing on the cake would be if archrival FC Barcelona clinched the championship on Sunday (9 p.m.) in the Clásico against Real—a scenario that is actually quite likely, as the Catalans need only a draw.
Most recently, however, a dispute between Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni has been preoccupying the Royal Club. The fact is: The Uruguayan will be sidelined for ten to 14 days with a traumatic brain injury and will therefore also miss the Clásico. Valverde recently went out of his way to refute any reports suggesting that a brawl had broken out between him and Tchouameni. “That didn’t happen,” he wrote in a statement, adding, “that it’s easier for you to believe we punched each other in the face or that it was done on purpose.”
Hefty fine for the brawlers
According to the usually well-informed Marca, several players described the incident internally as the most serious ever to have occurred at the Valdebebas training ground, while Valverde wrote on Instagram on Thursday how sorry he was. “I’m truly sorry, because the situation hurts me; the moment we’re going through right now hurts me.” Tchouameni has not yet commented publicly.
Exactly what happened remains unclear, however. Real Madrid is, however, making the two squabblers pay dearly. Previously, disciplinary proceedings had been held against both players, during which both Valverde and Tchouameni “expressed their deep regret over what had happened during the hearing and apologized to each other. They also apologized to the club, their teammates, the coaching staff, and the fans.“
Both players reportedly agreed to ”accept a penalty deemed appropriate by the club. And it’s a hefty one: “In light of these circumstances, Real Madrid has decided to impose a fine of 500,000 euros on each player,” the club announced, confirming at the same time that “the relevant internal proceedings have been concluded.”