Real Madrid team-mates Aurelien Choameny and Federico Valverde have been fined €500,000 (approximately £432,000) following an investigation into an altercation at the training ground.
There was a clash between players at the end of Wednesday’s practice, and tempers flared up again during Thursday’s practice, eventually leading to Valverde being taken to hospital where he was later diagnosed with cephalic trauma.
On Thursday, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez announced that disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against the two players following an emergency meeting held at the club’s training ground.
Financial penalties for both have now been finalized, but neither player has been suspended, meaning Cioameny could be available for Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona. Madrid have already announced that Valverde will be out for two weeks from 10th.
“Real Madrid CF would like to announce that, following the events that triggered the disciplinary proceedings against our players Federico Valverde and Aurelian Choameni, which began yesterday, both players have today handed themselves in to the investigators responsible for the case,” the club said in a statement.
“During their participation, the players expressed complete remorse for what happened and apologized to each other.
“Furthermore, they have offered to apologize to the club, their team-mates, the coaching staff and the fans, and to accept any sanctions the club deems appropriate.”
“In light of the circumstances, Real Madrid has decided to impose a fine of 500,000 euros on each player, which has concluded the corresponding internal procedure.”
Real Madrid faced Barcelona on Sunday with no victory other than handing Hansi Flick’s side the La Liga title. This is the first time in history that either team has achieved a result against their rivals in the Clasico to win the trophy.
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Sky Sports’ Craig Slater has responded to a report in a Spanish newspaper about drama in the Real Madrid dressing room involving Kylian Mbappé, Valverde and Choameni.
Choameni admits training incident was ‘unacceptable’
In a statement published on his social media on Friday, Choameni acknowledged the altercation was “unacceptable” and asked him to focus on the upcoming Clasico against Barcelona.
“What happened in training this week is unacceptable. I say this considering the example we should set for our young people, both in football and in school,” Choameni said on Instagram.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we have given the club. I know that everyone – the fans, staff, team-mates and management – are deeply disappointed with the way this season has played out.
“But frustration cannot be an excuse for everything. Incidents like this have no place in Real Madrid, no matter what dressing room it happened in. Especially since Real Madrid is the most talked about club in the world.”
“The internet loves inventing the most outlandish stores to generate buzz, so don’t believe everything you’re told or false stories.
“Now is no longer the time to find out who did what, who said what, who was right or wrong. I recognize and accept the club’s sanction. We are a family and although we sometimes have differences, we must always put our goals above all else. I apologize to the group and would like to extend my apologies to all Madridistas.”
“Now it is time to move on and we are focused on El Clasico and the season ahead and getting the club back to the top it should be.”
Valverde: “I didn’t throw a punch”
Despite the club confirming that Valverde went to hospital and suffered a traumatic brain injury, the Uruguayan midfielder released a statement on Thursday denying that he had been involved in a physical altercation with anyone.
Valverde has been ordered to rest for up to two weeks and could return in time for the final La Liga game of the season against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, May 24th.
“Yesterday, I had an accident with a teammate due to a play during practice. The fatigue and frustration of the game makes everything seem bigger than it really is,” the statement read.
“In a normal dressing room, these things can happen and be resolved between ourselves without being public. Obviously there is someone behind the scenes who spreads the word quickly and when you combine that with a non-title season (Madrid are always in the spotlight), it all becomes blown out of proportion.
“Today we had another disagreement. During the argument, I accidentally bumped myself into the table, resulting in a small cut on my forehead that required a regular trip to the hospital.”
“At no point did my teammate hit me and I never hit him. However, I understand that people may be inclined to believe that we got into a fistfight or that it was intentional, but that didn’t happen.
“I feel that my anger at the situation and the frustration of seeing some of us on the last legs and giving our all to the end of the season pushed me to the point where I got into an altercation with a teammate.
“I’m sorry. This situation hurts me, the moment we are experiencing hurts me, so I am sincerely sorry. Madrid is one of the most important things in my life and I cannot remain indifferent.”
“The result was a meaningless battle, a series of events that tarnished my image and left room for suspicions, fabrications, defamation, and falsification of accidents. I do not believe that the friction off the field will disappear on the field. If I have to protect him inside the stadium, I will be the first to do it.”
“I wasn’t going to talk about it until the end of the season. We were eliminated from the Champions League and I kept my anger and resentment to myself. Another wasted year. I wasn’t in a position to post on social media when I only have face to show on the field – and I think I did.”
“That’s why it’s more painful and sad than anyone else to go through this situation where I can’t play the next game due to a medical decision. Because no matter what the outcome, I’ve fought until the very end and not being able to do that hurts me more than anyone else. I will be at the discretion of the club and my teammates and will cooperate with whatever decisions they deem necessary.”
