Real Madrid stars hit Calderon with both barrels

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon was given both barrels by his players during yesterday's tension-filled meeting at Valdebebas.

Calderon asked the players for their forgiveness after his scathing speech at a local university was made public on Tuesday. The meeting, which was also attended by sports director Pedja Mijatovic, went for 90 minutes and was not all one-sided.

Radio Marca says several senior players fired back at Calderon with phrases such as "Are you with us, or against us?" and "Too much s*** has already come from your mouth".

The Real leadership group, which included Raul and Iker Casillas, all had their chance to air their grievances and no-one went over the top - though Calderon was left in no uncertain manner how his words had hurt the squad.

In the end, Calderon and the players agreed to put the episode behind them. The players who were at the meeting are expected to hold a media conference today.

After a stressful morning yesterday, Calderon left Valdebebas for an afternoon siesta.