Valverde and Tchouaméni could face up to 20-game suspension after Real Madrid dressing room row

Real Madrid players Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni argued in the dressing room in the build-up to this weekend’s El Clasico.

Ahead of El Clasico on Sunday, Real Madrid are in a full-blown crisis on multiple fronts, aside from the fact that their arch-rivals Barcelona could seal the LaLiga title by avoiding defeat at the Camp Nou.

Perhaps the most concerning and shocking story coming out of Real Madrid’s training centre at Valdebebas this week is the dressing-room bust up between midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni. A two-day argument between the pair appears to have become physical and led to Valverde being hospitalised.

Reports have suggested that the pair argued throughout the day and exchanged heavy tackles during training on Thursday after Valverde accused Tchouaméni of leaking their argument the previous day to the press. The Frenchman is believed to have stood is ground and after the argument became physical in the dressing room, Valverde fell and hit his head on a table, requiring hospital treatment.

There is of course no official confirmation of the exact nature of the events, but the Uruguayan has since released a statement denying that either of them hit the other and trying to play down the incident as the sort of stuff that often happens in high-pressure dressing rooms.

🚨 OFFICIAL: Fede Valverde statement.

“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”.

“In a normal locker room, these things can happen and are usually… pic.twitter.com/LGJxmsMhAx

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 7, 2026

Real Madrid taking the matter seriously

Despite Valverde’s attempts to play down the situation, it appears clear that something serious has happened. He himself will be unavailable for up to two weeks with a concussion.

Real Madrid could really do without this distraction right now, especially ahead of such a crucial game, but the club are expected to take the matter very seriously and the punishments handed out to the players involved will tell us that this was no ordinary training-ground disagreement.

Reports in Spain on Friday indicated that Los Blancos are considering suspensions of up to 20 matches for both players. The extraordinary disciplinary proceedings formally begun by the club will also include a financial sanction for both players.

The period of suspension ranges from three to ten matches for an incident that is considered serious, and from 11 to 20 matches if deemed very serious.

The matter is being taken very seriously by Los Merengues, who will appoint a formal investigator who will present charges and allow both players to have their say before sanctions are determined. In the most extreme case, such processes could result in a player being sacked.

The severity and formality of the disciplinary proceedings also mean, however, that they will take time and the findings could take several weeks to be announced. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see whether Álvaro Arbeloa  continues to select either of the players involved.