Real Madrid Coach Calls Leak a Betrayal
Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa on Saturday criticised a leak from inside the club’s dressing room after reports of a drawl between teammates Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni during training.
“That things are being leaked from the dressing room… seems to me a betrayal of Real Madrid, a complete lack of loyalty to this badge,” Arbeloa said.
The coach confirmed that both Valverde and Tchouaméni had accepted responsibility for their actions and that the matter had been dealt with internally by the club.
“I am very proud of the decisiveness, speed and transparency with which the club has acted,” he said, adding that both players had ‘expressed regret’ and ‘accepted the consequences’.
Arbeloa Defends Players Amid Public Scrutiny
Arbeloa also rejected claims questioning the professionalism of his squad or suggesting disciplinary exclusions linked to personal disputes.
“What I am not going to do is burn my players at the stake in public,” he stated.
“Look, I had a teammate who picked up a golf club and hit another player with it,” he added, referring to an incident in 2007 when Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy attacked teammate John Arne Riise with an 8-iron.
He further stressed that both midfielders remain part of Real Madrid’s plans and called for unity within the dressing room. “I believe they are two players who represent very well what Real Madrid is, and they deserve that we turn the page,” Arbeloa said.
Real Madrid Focuses on Crucial Barcelona Clash
Despite the off-field tensions, the Real Madrid coach turned his attention to the upcoming La Liga clash against FC Barcelona. “It is certainly one of the most closely watched matches in the world. We go into it with ambition,” he said.
Real Madrid trail their bitter Catalan rivals by 11 points, which means that if the Blaugrana avoid defeat on Sunday then FC Barcelona will win their second La Liga title in successive seasons.
Los Blancos won the previous El Clasico encounter by two goals to one in Madrid, with former manager Xabi Alonso still at the helm.
Article by Viory
