Real Madrid punishing Valverde, Tchouameni after fighting
Real Madrid opened disciplinary proceedings against Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni on Thursday after the pair had two altercations in the space of two days.
"The club will announce the resolutions of both cases in due course, once the corresponding internal procedures have been completed," added the club's statement.
Valverde issued a statement on Instagram admitting that he and an unnamed teammate "had an incident" in a training session Wednesday.
"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 Valverde suffered a cranioencephalic trauma, which is a type of concussion, and "will need to rest for 10-14 days."
The incident Thursday followed a heavy challenge Valverde made on Tchouameni during the morning session, and a subsequent argument in the locker room boiled over into another fight, sources told The Athletic's Guillermo Rai.
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 instigated a confrontation with an unnamed teammate in the dressing rooms at the training ground earlier in April, according to Rai and Cortegana. However, the defender reportedly apologized for his actions.
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.
The first team's continued struggles under Alvaro Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January, have reportedly encouraged club president Florentino Perez to push for Jose Mourinho's return to the Bernabeu.