‘I ACCIDENTALLY HIT A TABLE, CAUSING A SMALL CUT ON MY FOREHEAD’ — VALVERDE DENIES PHYSICAL FIGHT WITH TCHOUAMENI
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By ‘Sefiu Ajape
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has publicly addressed the controversy surrounding his recent injury and reported dressing room clash with teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, insisting that no physical fight took place between the pair.
In a lengthy statement posted on Instagram on Thursday, the Uruguay international admitted tensions boiled over during training amid Real Madrid’s disappointing season but denied reports suggesting he was attacked by Tchouameni.
“Yesterday I had an incident with a teammate during a training session. The fatigue from competition and the frustration made everything seem blown out of proportion,” Valverde wrote.
“In a normal locker room, these things can happen and are usually resolved internally without it becoming all public.”
Valverde further claimed that external rumours had intensified the situation due to growing scrutiny surrounding the club’s campaign.
“Clearly, someone here is spreading rumors, and with a season without titles, where Real Madrid is always under scrutiny, everything gets blown out of proportion,” he added.
The midfielder also clarified how he suffered the injury that later ruled him out of Sunday’s El Clásico against FC Barcelona.
“Today we had another disagreement. During the argument, I accidentally hit a table, causing a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital,” he explained.
“At no point did my teammate hit me, I didn’t hit him either.”
Real Madrid had earlier confirmed in an official medical statement that Valverde suffered a traumatic brain injury and would need to rest for between 10 and 14 days under medical protocol.
Before Valverde’s clarification, several Spanish media outlets had reported that the midfielder was treated in hospital after an alleged altercation with Tchouameni following training at the club’s Valdebebas complex.
Reports claimed Valverde required stitches for a facial wound and that tensions between both players escalated after disagreements during training sessions earlier in the week.
Spanish newspaper Marca had previously stated that the injury was accidental and not caused directly by a punch from Tchouameni.
In his statement, Valverde apologised for the incident and admitted frustration over Real Madrid’s season contributed to the disagreement.
“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry because this situation hurts me, this moment we’re going through is painful,” he said.
“We’ve wasted another year, and I wasn’t in a position to be posting on social media when the only face I had to show was on the field.”
The 27-year-old also expressed disappointment at missing the upcoming Clasico due to medical advice.
“I always gave it my all, to the very end, and it hurts me more than anyone not to be able to do so,” he added.
Real Madrid head into the clash with Barcelona under mounting pressure, with the Catalan side sitting 11 points clear at the top of La Liga and needing only to avoid defeat to secure another league title.
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