"Alvaro Arbeloa insisted Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni should be given the chance to keep fighting for the badge after a second dressing-room bust-up in two days left the Uruguayan on the floor and needing to be taken to hospital for stitches in his head. The morning after Real Madrid fined the players a record 500,000 each for the incident and the morning before they face Barcelona in the clasico, the coach gave an extraordinary press conference in which he claimed the dressing room was healthy, said that he was proud of his footballers and insisted that he would not allow them to be burnt at the stake for what they had done, saying that everyone makes mistakes, even club legend Juanito who famously stamped on Lothar Matthaus's head."
"He also said he had also seen worse, recalling the night in 2007 that Craig Bellamy attacked Liverpool teammate John Arne Riise with a golf club. While Valverde has been told to stay at home because of the craniofacial trauma suffered in the fight, the coach confirmed that Tchouameni will be in the squad to face Barcelona. If Madrid do not win the clasico, their greatest rivals will be crowned champions. Arbeloa hit out at what he called the lies told about his players but he also described dressing-room leaks as a betrayal, concluding: I am responsible for what happens at Real Madrid and if you want to have someone to blame, here I am."
"I have two things to say, Arbeloa began. I am very proud of the decisiveness, transparency and speed with which the club has acted. And, two, that the players have expressed their regret, they have admitted their error, and they have accepted the consequences of their actions. They have said sorry to the fans, the club and the dressing room, and that's enough for me. They do not deserved to be publicly burnt at the stake. Fede Valverde nor Aurelien Tchouameni have shown every day what it means to be a Real Madrid player, with their commitment and effort, and I am not going to forget that."
A second dressing-room bust-up occurred within two days, leaving Fede Valverde on the floor and needing hospital stitches after craniofacial trauma. Real Madrid fined the players a record 500,000 each. The coach held an extraordinary press conference, stating the dressing room was healthy and expressing pride in the players’ regret and acceptance of consequences. He rejected public punishment, saying mistakes happen and referencing past incidents involving other footballers. He confirmed Valverde would stay home while Aurelien Tchouameni would be in the squad for the match against Barcelona. He also criticized dressing-room leaks as betrayal and accepted responsibility for what happens at the club.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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