Valverde Hospitalized With Head Injury After Altercation With Tchouameni at Real Madrid

Internal tensions at Real Madrid escalated into a dressing-room brawl between midfielders Federico Valverde (Uruguay) and Aurelien Tchouameni (France), leaving Valverde hospitalized with a head injury, according to club sources.

Real Madrid later confirmed that captain Valverde was discharged but will miss 10 to 14 days due to a head injury. “Tests carried out today on our player, Fede Valverde, have diagnosed him with a head injury. Valverde is at home and in good condition; he will need rest for 10 to 14 days, following medical protocols for this diagnosis,” the club said in a statement.

The incident occurred at the Valdebebas training center, a day after another clash between the two players. A Real Madrid spokesperson told Reuters he would not comment on what happened in the dressing room, but the club later confirmed it had opened disciplinary proceedings against both. “Real Madrid announces that, following the events that occurred this morning during the first team's training session, we have decided to open disciplinary proceedings against players Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni. The club will announce the results of both cases in due course, after the internal procedures are completed,” the statement said.

Valverde, 27, is a key midfielder for Uruguay, who will compete in Group H at the World Cup. Uruguay's opening match is against Saudi Arabia on June 15. After the incident, Valverde posted a statement on social media apologizing to the club and fans, but denied escalating the situation with his teammate, saying that during “an argument” he “accidentally knocked over a table.” No information was given about injuries to Tchouameni, 26, a France international.

The severity of the incident forced high-level club officials to hold an emergency meeting, and no player left the training center for over an hour. The goal was to prevent further escalation of tensions, as nerves were frayed and the squad divided at a sensitive time. Earlier this week, defender Alvaro Carreras also admitted to having a heated argument with a teammate but said it was “an isolated incident that was not important and has been resolved,” after Spanish media reported a clash between him and German defender Antonio Ruediger.

Real Madrid's season is collapsing on several fronts. Coach Xabi Alonso was sacked mid-season, and his successor Alvaro Arbeloa has been unable to stop the team from sliding toward a second consecutive trophy-less campaign. After being eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, Real trails La Liga leaders Barcelona by 11 points with four matches remaining. The two sides meet at Camp Nou on Sunday in El Clasico, a match that could decide the title for the Catalan side.

Adding to Real Madrid's embarrassment, more than 33 million signatures have been collected on a petition demanding the sale of French striker Kylian Mbappe. The player, who arrived from Paris Saint-Germain two summers ago, is recovering from an injury but has been criticized for leaving Spain to continue his rehabilitation in Italy. It remains unclear whether Mbappe will be fit to play against Barcelona on Sunday.