Police must intervene after tunnel fight between Valencia and Real Madrid

In the heated La Liga duel between Valencia and Real Madrid, tension escalated during halftime in the players' tunnel after Valencia players protested a foul by Pablo Maffeo on Kylian Mbappé; even the police had to intervene and the unrest continued until after the match.

After the controversial foul, Real Madrid were awarded a free kick which Federico Valverde sent into the net. A few Real Madrid players then calmed the angry Valencia players, but the dispute persisted until the break. The three‑minute summary of the incidents can also be viewed repeatedly on Google.

Confrontation in the tunnel

In the players' tunnel a confrontation arose in which Antonio Rüdiger physically assaulted a security guard, according to several Spanish media outlets. Eder Militao and Jude Bellingham were also involved in the unrest. The police then had to intervene to calm the situation.

Sporting director Braulio Vázquez of Valencia risks a sanction after an aggressive remark towards the refereeing, as noted in the referee's report. The referee wrote: ‘It is not a foul, unbelievable!’ Police then removed Vázquez from the tunnel.

After the match, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho was questioned about the incident and he expressed his displeasure with Valencia coach Javier Aguirre. Mourinho stated: ‘I will tell you exactly what I said to him after the game…’ Real Madrid's dissatisfaction with the refereeing continues to grow.

According to Opta, Real Madrid committed as many as 26 fouls against Valencia, the highest number in La Liga. After twelve rounds, the team has 171 fouls, averaging about fourteen per match. Jude Bellingham tops the list with 31 fouls, followed by Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé with 23 each, and Arda Güler with 21.