During a press conference before the La Liga round 35 match against Barca, Arbeloa faced numerous questions about an altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni. The two players had a conflict on 6/5, which escalated into a physical fight during a training session the following day. This incident resulted in Valverde sustaining a head injury, similar to a concussion, requiring him to rest for 10 to 14 days.

Valverde and Tchouameni were each fined 500.000 euro but were not suspended. As a result, Tchouameni returned to training and was available to play at Camp Nou today.

Coach Alvaro Arbeloa during a press conference before Real Madrid's match against Barca in La Liga round 35 on 9/5. Photo: Real Madrid FC

"The two players have expressed remorse, admitted their mistake, accepted the consequences, and apologized. For me, that is enough," Arbeloa stated. "I will not make my players scapegoats. They do not deserve to be treated this way. They deserve the chance to continue fighting for this club. I am very proud of them. I will not allow others to exploit this situation to question the professionalism of the players."

The Spanish coach downplayed the incident's severity by recalling a well-known incident from his time at Liverpool, where Craig Bellamy admitted to hitting teammate John Arne Riise with a golf club.

"I once had a teammate hit someone with a golf club," he said. "Such things should not happen between teammates, but these situations always exist in football. I am not justifying it, but I have witnessed worse."

The 43-year-old coach attributed Valverde's injury requiring stitches primarily to "bad luck", and urged the team to put the incident behind them to focus on the upcoming match against Barca, where the Catalan team could clinch the La Liga title with a win or a draw.

Real Madrid training before the match against Barca.

Beyond the Valverde-Tchouameni altercation, numerous negative reports have recently emerged from the Real Madrid locker room. According to Spanish media, Dani Carvajal, Dani Ceballos, and Raul Asencio are among a group of players reportedly in conflict with Arbeloa. Kylian Mbappe allegedly insulted a Real assistant coach during a training session after being caught offside, and Arbeloa was reportedly called "el cono" (the traffic cone) by his players.

"Too many lies are being spread," Arbeloa declared. "To say my players lack professionalism is a lie. To say they have disrespected me, even once, is also a lie. To say that players are not playing due to conflicts with me, or that their lives do not meet Real Madrid player standards, is all completely untrue."

The Spanish coach also addressed the continuous leaking of internal information to the media, which he considers the most serious issue. "What pains me most is that what happens in the Real Madrid locker room should have remained there," he expressed. "If locker room matters are revealed, I believe that is a betrayal of Real Madrid and the values of this badge."

However, the 43-year-old coach refused to name any individuals responsible for the information leaks: "I do not work for the CIA. I am not accusing any player or anyone. There are many people around Real Madrid's first team, and I am not here to point fingers at anyone."

Hong Duy (according to ESPN)