Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez held a memorable press conference where he initially did not want to discuss sporting matters, yet still addressed the altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
During the remarkable 65-minute press conference, Real Madrid’s president Florentino Pérez was also questioned about the training clash between his stars Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Although the 79-year-old did not intend to talk about sports, he nonetheless commented on the incident.
“I find it very serious—and even more serious that it became public. I think it is extremely unfortunate that something like this leaks out of the club,” Pérez began.
He explained that such disagreements have occurred during his time at the club and are nothing out of the ordinary: “Young people argue: one kicks, the other hits back—and afterward, they are friends again.”
The Real Madrid president then went on a tirade: “Those who leaked this are doing so because they are unhappy and believe they will leave the club. I will not allow this chaotic image that some are trying to paint.”
The 79-year-old added: “For me, the leak is worse because it implies there is more behind it than just a fight, after which those involved are friends again the next day and go for coffee together. I believe this is the first time I’ve experienced something like this in my 26 years here—and that also worries me.”
Pérez reiterated that he considers the leak “much worse” than the actual confrontation and that he has never seen such a thing in his 26 years as Real Madrid president.
“It Actually Happens Every Day”
“The press should analyze what happened, but they should not claim that chaos reigns at Real Madrid just because two players fought. That happens every year. Actually, it happens every day. And then it’s over. But when someone inside the club leaks it, that is worse than the fight itself,” Pérez said.
In closing, he remarked on the quarrel: “By the way, these are two great guys and very good players. It was said: ‘This is terrible, it destroys Real Madrid, such behavior cannot be tolerated…’ Well, I have tolerated it for over 20 years and nothing happened.”
The altercation between the two midfielders occurred on Thursday after training. The club fined both French national player Tchouaméni and Uruguay captain Valverde, who suffered a head injury, a hefty penalty of 500,000 euros. Both apologized to the club, fans, staff, and teammates.
