Perez plays down the row between Valverde and Tchouameni

Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni

Real Madrid midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni were involved in a heated exchange. Club president Florentino Pérez has played down the incident, insisting it is no cause for concern.

Following a Real Madrid board meeting, president Florentino Pérez held a Tuesday press conference. He lashed out at the media, declared he would confront all comers, and also addressed the training-ground clash between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni.

"It's not the first time two players have had a row here," the 79-year-old said, playing down the dressing-room dispute between the two Real Madrid professionals that had left Valverde concussed. "There have been seasons when the players have been constantly arguing. These things happen!"

What particularly annoyed Perez was that the incident had become public. "The row between the players was bad, but what's worse is that it's been made public," Perez fumed. "We've had arguments every year, sometimes even several, but it's never been made public before."

"The leak was worse than the row," he stated. "Players can make up after a row, have a coffee, shake hands. But a leak like that is terrible." He also stressed that the club knows "who passed the information about the fight on to the media."

Valverde and Tchouameni clash at Real Madrid

Following the altercation with Tchouameni, Valverde was taken to hospital with a deep cut that required several stitches. Real later announced that the Uruguayan had suffered a head injury and was "at home and in good condition"; club policy requires 10–14 days' rest for such diagnoses.

"Such incidents can happen in any dressing room, but they are unbecoming of Real Madrid, especially since we are the most talked-about club in the world," Tchouameni later apologised. "Now is not the time to dwell on who did what, who said what, or who was right or wrong. I note the club's sanction and accept it."

Following an internal hearing, the club fined both players €500,000, bringing the disciplinary proceedings to a close, it said in a Friday statement.

The altercation reportedly began when Valverde declined to shake Tchouameni's hand before training. Tensions rose during the session, and the Uruguayan later suffered a bruise and a cut in the dressing room; the injury was accidental and not caused by a direct blow from his team-mate. Several team-mates stepped in to calm the situation, and Marca reports that a crisis meeting was later held in the dressing room.