​AS: Valverde Accuses Tchouaméni of Being a Leak; The Latter Lands Heavy Punch to Former's Head

May 7 – According to AS Real Madrid correspondents José Félix Díaz and Sergio López, a serious on-field and dressing room altercation broke out at Real Madrid's Valdebebas training ground on May 7 between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni. The disagreement escalated into a physical confrontation. After being struck by Tchouaméni, Valverde fell to the ground, suffering a head injury and a laceration, and was subsequently taken to hospital for stitches. Real Madrid have opened a disciplinary investigation into both players.

AS describes this as one of the most serious internal incidents in Real Madrid's history. The disagreement stemmed from Valverde's belief that Tchouaméni had leaked details of a dressing-down the squad received the previous day to the media. Upon arriving at the training ground, Valverde refused to shake Tchouaméni's hand, which immediately tensed the atmosphere in the dressing room.

Valverde then repeatedly accused Tchouaméni of being the leak. Tchouaméni consistently denied this, stating he was not someone with close media contacts. However, the accusations did not remain in the locker room and spilled over onto the training pitch.

According to the report, Valverde continued to pressure Tchouaméni during the session, insisting that he had been the one to provide information to the media about the previous day's events. Sources at Valdebebas stressed that manager Álvaro Arbeloa did not intervene during the process. The entire training session was described as "unpleasant", with many overly aggressive challenges and confrontations between Valverde and Tchouaméni, leaving teammates and coaching staff bewildered. The hostility between the two was palpable.

The situation did not ease after training ended. Back in the dressing room, Valverde continued to accuse Tchouaméni. Dressing room sources described the accusations as "relentless". Tchouaméni then tried to calmly communicate with Valverde, asking him to stop and insisting the hostile atmosphere must end.

However, Valverde did not stop. Several teammates attempted to mediate, asking both to cease their argument, but to no avail. Ultimately, Tchouaméni lost patience. As confirmed by AS, Tchouaméni then landed a heavy punch to Valverde's head. Valverde fell to the ground, hitting his head and sustaining a cut. The report states Valverde's wound was not directly caused by Tchouaméni's punch, but by the impact of the fall.

Valverde, visibly dizzy, subsequently left the club's training complex in a wheelchair. José Ángel Sánchez was near the dressing room when the incident occurred and arrived on the scene quickly, but by the time he got there, the altercation was over. He could only separate those remaining and speak with other players to understand what had happened. Florentino Pérez was not at Valdebebas at the time.

Following the incident, Valverde was taken by wheelchair to the medical room at Valdebebas. Medical staff discovered a clear laceration on his head and transferred him to the Blua Sanitas hospital for stitches.

AS reports that Tchouaméni left Valdebebas in his private car after the incident and has not seen Valverde since. Valverde's car returned to the training ground after taking him to the hospital, but he did not return in it.

Real Madrid have opened disciplinary proceedings against both Valverde and Tchouaméni and are studying potential sanctions and next steps.

Source: AS