Finally a penalty that may actually prevent repeated behavior.
Real Madrid has fined Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni approximately $589,000 each for Thursday’s fight at the team’s training facility that resulted in Valverde being hospitalized, according to ESPN.
The two reportedly got into a fight during training on Thursday, which resulted in Valverde having his forehead cut and a visit to the hospital.
He will not play this weekend against Barcelona in an important match this weekend due to what is called “cranioencephalic trauma,” which is a serious brain damage.
The two players met with an investigator on Friday, according to the club, over the breach that cost the pair 500,000 euros.
“When they were seen, the players expressed complete remorse for what happened and apologized to each other,” the statement read. “Furthermore, they have expressed their apologies to the club, their teammates, the coaching staff, and the fans, and they have both made themselves available to Real Madrid to accept any sanction the club deems appropriate.”
The altercation allegedly happened after it got “very heated” and Valverde, a 27-year-old Uruguayan, reportedly followed Tchouamini, a 28-year-old Frenchman, into the locker room, according to ESPN.
Chouameni is said to have trained on Friday, while Valverde was sidelined due to injury.
Valverde posted a lengthy message on his Instagram Story in which he said the situation was “blown out of proportion,” according to ESPN.
“My partner didn’t hit me, and I didn’t hit him. Although I understand that it might be easy for you to believe that we beat the hell out of each other or that he hurt me on purpose, that’s not the case,” Valverde wrote, as translated by ESPN. “I am very sorry for this situation, it hurts me, it hurts to see this situation we are facing.
“Real Madrid is one of the most important things in my life, and I can’t stay indifferent to it. This result is the culmination of various factors that ended up causing a senseless conflict, damaging my reputation and leaving room for doubt, allowing the creation, insults, and fascination of what was simply dangerous.”
Chouameni said what happened was “unacceptable” in the Instagram story, although he also said he believed the story was not being presented well.
“These incidents, even if they happen in the dressing room, do not suit Real Madrid. Especially since Real Madrid is the most talked about team in the world,” he wrote. “The internet loves to create the most tragic stories that affect the sound so don’t believe everything that is said or false narratives.
“Anyway, now is not the time to find out who did what, who said or who was right or wrong.”
Valverde’s loss comes at an inopportune time as rivals Barcelona can clinch the LaLiga title undefeated on Sunday in the classic game known as “El Clasico.”
