Real Madrid fine Valverde, Tchouameni €500K each for fighting

Real Madrid fined Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni €500,000 each Friday after the pair had altercations at the training ground Wednesday and Thursday.

"During their appearance, the players expressed their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to each other," the club said of the disciplinary hearing before an investigator. "Furthermore, they extended their apologies to the club, their teammates, the coaching staff, and the fans, and both have made themselves available to Real Madrid to accept whatever sanction the club deems appropriate."

Valverde issued a statement on Instagram on Thursday, admitting that he and an unnamed teammate "had an incident" in a training session Wednesday before tensions boiled over again Thursday.

"In a normal locker room, things like this can happen, and they are settled amongst ourselves without ever seeing the light of day," Valverde continued, with translation from ESPN's Rodra. "However, there is someone evidently behind the scenes who is quick to run to the press with the story adding fuel to a trophy-less season in which Real Madrid is always under the microscope and everything gets magnified.

"Today, we had another run-in. During the argument, I accidentally struck a table, sustaining a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital."

The Uruguayan midfielder was knocked unconscious, sources told BBC Sport's Elizabeth Conway.

The club announced Thursday that Valverde suffered a cranioencephalic trauma, which is a type of concussion, and "will need to rest for 10-14 days."

Thursday's flash point followed a heavy challenge Valverde made on Tchouameni during the morning session, and a subsequent argument in the locker room turned into another fight, sources told The Athletic's Guillermo Rai.

Tchouameni apologized in a statement on social media Friday, describing what happened as "unacceptable." He added that the "wildest stories" were being spread on incidents that "can happen in any dressing room."

"No matter who is right or wrong, we should always look for the calmest solution to resolve a conflict," Tchouameni's statement read, with translation from BBC Sport. "Now is no longer the time to figure out who did what, who said what, or who was right or wrong. I acknowledge the club's sanction and I accept it."

Valverde and Tchouameni are regulars in the Real Madrid lineup, appearing in at least 30 La Liga matches apiece and playing in 13 Champions League games each this season. Valverde has regularly captained the side during right-back Dani Carvajal's struggles with injury.

The tension between Valverde and Tchouameni is far from the first report of turmoil behind the scenes at Real Madrid. The mood appears bleak as the club heads toward its first back-to-back seasons without a trophy since the 2008-09 and 2009-10 campaigns.

Superstar forward Kylian Mbappe has recently been criticized by supporters after he took a trip to Sardinia while recuperating from an injury. He's becoming increasingly isolated in the dressing room due to his individualistic approach, according to Spanish reports relayed by Agence France-Presse.

Mbappe also got into a heated dispute with a member of the coaching staff during a training session, The Athletic's Guillermo Rai and Mario Cortegana reported Tuesday, citing sources. Ahead of the team's 1-1 draw with Real Betis on April 24, the staff member was acting as an assistant referee during a training exercise. Mbappe reportedly subjected the staff member to an angry and insulting tirade after the Frenchman was called offside.

Antonio Rudiger also reportedly instigated a confrontation with a teammate in the dressing rooms at the training ground earlier in April. Left-back Alvaro Carreras was widely reported to be the player who had a disagreement with Rudiger, per BBC Sport's Conway. Rudiger apologized for his actions, according to Rai and Cortegana.

To potentially make matters worse for Real Madrid, Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champions in El Clasico on Sunday unless Los Blancos can win at the Camp Nou. Valverde will miss that match due to his head injury, but Mbappe and Tchouameni returned to training Friday.

The first team's continued struggles under Alvaro Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January, have reportedly resulted in talks with Jose Mourinho's agent to bring the current Benfica boss back to the Bernabeu as head coach.