Pablo Gavi Questions Real Madrid’s Decision to Play Aurelien Tchouameni After Fede Valverde Incident
The Barcelona midfielder did not claim to know every detail of what happened inside Madrid’s dressing room, but he made his own view on discipline clear.
For Gavi, the issue was simple: if a player uses his hands in a fight, playing the next match should not be treated as normal.
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Pablo Gavi Says Aurelien Tchouameni’s El Clasico Call Was Wrong If Fede Valverde Reports Are True
Speaking in comments shared by Fabrizio Romano, Pablo Gavi gave his view on the controversy around Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde.
Gavi said, “Tchouameni-Valverde? If you fight using your hands, in my view the coach should NOT let you play the next game.”
He added, “If it’s true… in my opinion, it was a mistake to play [Tchouameni] in El Clasico. But I do not know what really happened.”
The final line matters because Gavi clearly left room for uncertainty. He was not presenting himself as someone inside Real Madrid’s dressing room, but as a rival player reacting to the reports around the incident.
His point still carried weight because El Clasico is not a routine game. Allowing Tchouameni to play while Valverde missed out because of the aftermath created an obvious talking point.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde’s Controversy Left Real Madrid With an Awkward El Clasico Problem
The controversy reportedly began with a training-ground clash that escalated into a serious dressing-room incident between Tchouameni and Valverde.
Reports claimed Valverde suffered a head injury after the altercation and was ruled out of El Clasico under medical protocols. Real Madrid later handled the matter internally, with both players reportedly fined heavily but not given sporting suspensions.
That distinction is why Tchouameni remained available. Valverde missed the match because of the injury issue, while Tchouameni was allowed to play because Madrid treated the discipline as a financial matter rather than a selection ban.
Tchouameni’s performance did not quiet the conversation either. Real Madrid lost 2-0, and Barcelona players were already aware of the tension around their rivals before the match.
Gavi’s criticism fits that wider mood. He did not pretend to know the full truth, but he made it clear that if the reported use of hands was accurate, Madrid should have taken a harder sporting line.