Aurelien Tchouameni Reveals Truth Behind Federico Valverde Fight

The two Real Madrid stars were fined €500k each for a locker room altercation.

Tchouaméni and Valverde have both played down the severity of the incident. | Diego Souto/Getty Images, Alex Pantling/UEFA/Getty Images

Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni insists he has “no problem” with teammate Federico Valverde following their locker-room altercation and that “false stories” made the incident sound more serious than it was.

In May, the two players were fined €500k ($580k) each by the club for a physical incident at Valdebebas, which ended with Valverde requiring hospital treatment for a head injury.

The incident—which came shortly before the Clásico defeat which confirmed Barcelona’s La Liga title win—was seen as the nadir in Real Madrid’s season as the club failed to win a single trophy and sacked Xabi Alonso less than six months after appointing the Spaniard.

Valverde issued a statement apologizing for his part in what he described as a “disagreement”, denying that punches had been thrown while admitting that he’d suffered “a small cut” as a result of slipping and hitting his head on a table.

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‘False Stories Bothered Me’—Tchouaméni

Federico Valverde was hospitalized after his “disagreement” with Aurélien Tchouaméni. | Justin Setterfield/FIFA/Getty Images

Speaking to French publication L’Equipe, Tchouaméni has sought to put the affair behind him, while insisting the facts of the story got distorted and blown out of proportion.

He said: “What bothered me were the false stories that came out about what really happened. I can't control that. The most important thing is that we're all okay and calm in the locker room.

“A lesson learned? That no matter what happens in your life, the problem is never as big as you think it is. Like everything else, today they're talking about this, tomorrow they'll be talking about something else. You just have to endure the two or three days when there's a commotion.

“This story grew to such an extent that for the first two or three days we felt like it was never going to end. And in reality, after two or three days, someone says something else crazy or another story comes up and you move on to something else.”

The French midifelder also revealed he has since made up with Valverde.

“You have to understand: there’s no problem,” he added. “A lot of things happen in a locker room. We shook hands when he came back and we continued working together.”

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One Problem Fewer for Mourinho

José Mourinho is inheriting a divided locker room. | Rodrigo Moreira/NurPhoto/Getty Images

If Tchouaméni and Valverde’s incident really is water under the bridge, it will be an item new manager José Mourinho can strike off his to-do list this summer, as he sets about attempting to reinstill a sense of unity in the Spanish capital.

One of the key factors in Mourinho’s re-appointment 13 years on from his Real Madrid’s exit was his perceived ability to control a locker room.

In Florentino Pérez’s eyes at least, Mourinho represents a force of personality strong enough to be able to bring a divided roster together, while clamping down out-of-control egos. Detractors, however, will argue that Mourinho’s diplomatic skills have led to heightened locker-room disruption in many of his previous jobs.

Both Tchouaméni and Valverde look set to play an important role for Madrid next season, with the latter inheriting the captain’s armband from the departed Dani Carvajal.

Tchouaméni, meanwhile, has been the subject of transfer interest from Manchester United, but looks set to stay at the Bernabéu and remains the club’s best defensive midfield option.

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