'Betrayal of the Real Madrid badge!' - Fiery Alvaro Arbeloa slams Real Madrid 'mole' & reveals all about Aurelien Tchouameni & Federico Valverde scrap

The Los Blancos manager views the breach as a serious violation of the club’s values. He insisted that internal matters should remain inside the dressing room. Arbeloa strongly criticised whoever allowed the incident to reach the press.

"I want to say two things. First, I am very proud of the decisiveness, speed and transparency with which the club has acted," he explained, as quoted by Marca. "And on the other hand, that the players have acknowledged their mistake, expressing their regret and asking for forgiveness. For me, that is enough. What I am not going to do is burn them at a public stake, because they do not deserve it.

"I am the first person responsible for the fact that we surely have not been up to standard this season. It is clear that frustration and anger can lead you into situations you do not want. Now we have to look at the match. That is where we must put the focus now. If you want to blame someone, here I am."

Speaking about the leaks: "I repeat, for things that happen in the dressing room to be leaked seems to me a betrayal and an act of disloyalty to this badge."

Arbeloa attempted to place the incident in context, suggesting that intense environments can lead to occasional flashpoints. He stressed that such situations are not uncommon in elite football.

Drawing on his own experience as a player, Arbeloa said: "I had a teammate who picked up a golf club and hit another with it. What happens in the Real Madrid dressing room should stay in the Real Madrid dressing room and that is what hurts me the most.

"These are situations that have always happened but I am not justifying it, far from it. It was an incident and we were unlucky that Fede ended up with a gash, it has more to do with the bad luck of what really happened. They have apologised and from there on we have to think about the match."

Click here to read article