Real Madrid are facing a full-blown crisis just days before the Clásico after a training ground altercation between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde escalated into disciplinary action. The club confirmed that disciplinary proceedings had been opened against both players following the incident on Thursday morning, which left Valverde with a head injury requiring hospital treatment.
Reports from Spanish media claimed that Valverde accused Tchouameni of leaking details of a previous argument to the press, leading to a heated exchange. The situation allegedly boiled over when Tchouameni struck Valverde, causing him to fall and hit his head. Valverde later took to Instagram to deny that any blows were exchanged, insisting he accidentally hit a table. He said: "At no point did my teammate hit me, nor did I hit him, although I understand it may be easier for people to believe that we got into a fist-fight."
Real Madrid confirmed that Valverde had been diagnosed with cranioencephalic trauma and ruled him out of Sunday's El Clásico against Barcelona. The club stated he would need to rest for between 10 and 14 days. An emergency meeting was called with president Florentino Perez at the training ground, and both players were subsequently fined €500,000 (£432,000) each after expressing deep regret and apologising to each other, the club, their teammates and fans.
This is not the first time tensions have surfaced at Valdebebas in recent weeks. Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Carreras were reported to have been involved in a heated argument, while Kylian Mbappe clashed with a member of the coaching staff before the draw at Real Betis last month. Mbappe has been sidelined with a hamstring injury and sparked controversy by holidaying in Sardinia during his recovery.
The France forward has also been the target of an online "Mbappe Out" petition that has gathered millions of signatures. With the Clásico looming, Real Madrid will hope to restore calm and focus on the pitch, but the fallout from this latest episode is likely to linger.
