BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Real Madrid coach Alvaro Albeloa defended players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Choameny, saying their apologies for the brawl were enough to resolve the incident in which the club handed both players hefty fines. 500,000 euros ($590,000).
“The players recognized their mistake, expressed remorse and asked for forgiveness,” Arbeloa told reporters in Madrid on Saturday in his first public appearance after the match.
“That’s enough for me,” he said. “What I’m not going to do is burn them on a pyre in the town square because they don’t deserve that. It’s time to turn the page.”
of Battle between two midfielders At the end of Madrid’s training on Thursday, Valverde was taken to hospital to be treated for a head injury. Valverde said he hit his head on the table and called the incident a “senseless fight.”
Madrid announced the following day that both players apologized to each other when they met with club officials investigating the incident. They also apologized to their teammates, coaching staff and fans.
But the 15-time European champion deemed the altercation to be a serious breach of team discipline and imposed fines on the players that could even jeopardize a top footballer’s bank account.
Arbeloa said he was satisfied with the club’s handling of the situation, but added that he had seen worse behavior during the defender’s career, which included spells at Madrid, Liverpool, West Ham and the Spanish national team.
“I had a teammate who hit someone with a golf club,” he said, without providing further details. “Situations like this have always happened, but I’m not going to justify it.”
Arbeloa’s harshest words were not against Valverde and Choameni, but rather against the person who spoke to the media about the fight. It was first reported by Spanish sports newspaper Marca.
“For me it is a betrayal of Real Madrid that what happens in the dressing room is filtered (to the media),” he said. “These things need to be left in the locker room.”
And now a trip to Camp Nou with everything to lose
Madrid have been unable to win any major trophies for the second consecutive season. French star Kylian Mbappé As a team.
Arbeloa, 43, has only been in charge since January, when he was promoted from Madrid’s reserve team as a substitute. Xabi Alonso fired. Considering the inconsistent play of a star-studded team, it would be a huge shock if he wasn’t replaced after the season.
Arbeloa now faces the difficult task of rallying its players. Match against strong enemy Barcelona on sunday. Only a win for Madrid can stop Barcelona from winning La Liga for the second time in a row, but even that is likely to only delay Barcelona’s title celebrations, with the Catalan club trailing Madrid by 11 points with four games remaining.
“There is no question that I have to take responsibility for the fact that we have not been able to overcome this challenge this season,” Arbeloa said. “Obviously frustration and anger can put you in situations you don’t want to be in, but right now we have to focus on (Sunday’s) game.”
Arbeloa said that while Valverde is on medical leave recovering from a head injury, Choameni will be in Madrid’s squad for the Clasico.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
