The atmosphere within the Real Madrid locker room is not the best. The conflict between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni has created a tense environment within the team. What started as a discussion during a training session ended with the Uruguayan player being taken to a medical center with a head wound and receiving a significant punishment. However, instead of the matter being closed with the sanction, the former Barcelona player, Gerard Piqué, reignited the controversy. It all began after a statement by former goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who attempted to downplay the situation, stating that "in our time, this also happened," acknowledging internal differences within the locker room, which, in his opinion, should be resolved internally, especially before a clásico. Hours later, the former goalkeeper recalled this interview on his X account, where the former defender appeared with a pointed question: "And who do you think won the fight?"— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) May 8, 2026
The Real Madrid Punishment
During the day on Thursday, Real Madrid released a statement announcing that the conflict between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni would be investigated by the club. And the following day, the sanction was announced.
"Real Madrid C.F. announces that, following the events that led to the opening of a disciplinary file for our players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni yesterday, both appeared today before the instructor of the file. During this appearance, the players expressed their complete regret for what happened and apologized to each other," the club stated in a declaration published on the Real Madrid website.
"They also apologized to the club, their teammates, the coaching staff, and the fans, and both have made themselves available to Real Madrid to accept the sanction that the club deems appropriate," added the most successful team in the Champions League.
Finally, the statement reveals the significant financial penalty imposed on Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni: "Under these circumstances, Real Madrid has decided to impose a financial penalty of five hundred thousand euros on each player, thus concluding the corresponding internal procedures."
Valverde's Explanation
Once the internal investigation was announced, Federico Valverde made a post in which he shared his point of view.
"Yesterday (Wednesday) I had an incident with a teammate as a result of a play during training, where the fatigue of the competition and the frustration make everything seem bigger," he began explaining.
"In a normal locker room, these things can happen and are resolved among ourselves without becoming public. Obviously, there is someone behind this who is spreading the story quickly, coupled with a season without titles where Real Madrid is always the target, and everything is magnified," he added.
"Today (Thursday) we had another disagreement. During the discussion, I accidentally hit a table, causing a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital," he continued.
Valverde denied having physically fought with Tchouaméni, despite the club opening a disciplinary file for both of them: "At no time did my teammate hit me, and I didn't hit him either, although I understand that for you it is easier to believe that we fought or that it was intentional, but that did not happen," he stated.
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