Real Madrid fines players over training ground bust-up

In an official statement, the club confirmed that no sporting sanctions would be imposed on either player, describing the financial penalty as bringing the internal disciplinary proceedings—opened in the wake of the incident—to a formal close.

Valverde out of El Clásico

Valverde will be absent from Sunday's El Clásico fixture against Barcelona at Camp Nou, having sustained a head injury during the confrontation. The club indicated he is expected to be sidelined for up to two weeks. Tchouaméni, meanwhile, returned to training on Friday and remains in contention to feature in the match.

How it unfolded

According to Spanish media reports, the trouble first flared during Thursday's session when Valverde refused to shake Tchouaméni's hand before going on to foul him on the training pitch. The dressing room then saw a sharp escalation of the situation, leading to a physical altercation that resulted in Valverde's hospitalisation. Real Madrid's coach Álvaro Arbeloa accompanied the Uruguayan international to the medical facility near the club's Valdebebas training complex, where he received stitches for a facial wound.

Remorse and apologies

In their official statement, the club noted that both players had appeared before the investigator assigned to the case and that each had expressed full remorse for their conduct, offering personal apologies to one another. The statement added that the pair had also conveyed their apologies to the club, their fellow squad members, the coaching staff, and their supporters and that both had placed themselves at the club's disposal to accept whatever sanction was deemed appropriate.

Valverde plays down the incident

Valverde, for his part, sought to play down the severity of the incident on social media, suggesting that the pressures of competition and the frustration of a difficult season had caused the situation to spiral beyond what it might otherwise have been.