Investigation at Bernabeu: How on Earth did Valverde sustain a concussion?!

Real Madrid is going through one of the most scandalous periods in the club's 123-year history. And no, no one is talking about their abysmal trophyless season. The matter is much more serious, as the Los Blancos' locker room has apparently turned into a bar or a tavern where brawls are everyday occurrences.

Three fights between players in the same week?! For a Sunday League side - it's too much. Let alone for the 15-time Champions League winner and arguably the greatest club in football history.

However, compared to the third one, the first two - especially the one between Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Carreras - were child's play.

A couple of days ago, it was revealed that apart from the German and the Spaniard, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni also got into a physical altercation, which, after shoving and pushing, ended.

Or at least it had seemed so...

Yesterday, the two midfielders clashed again, and this time, the situation was far more serious, given that the Uruguayan sustained a concussion and had to be taken to a hospital!

And that's pretty much the only thing that's clear regarding this shameful and disturbing episode. Everything else is shrouded in mystery, as there are several different versions of the incident. Even the Spanish media are divided over what happened yesterday in Real Madrid's training complex in Valdebebas.

According to Diario AS, Valverde refused to shake Tchouameni's hand after the first fight between them, accusing the Frenchman of leaking locker-room information.

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A few hard, reckless tackles in a subsequent training session allegedly reignited tensions, and the quarrel continued off the pitch. Valverde kept provoking his teammate, who eventually knocked him unconscious!

The manager, Alvaro Arbeloa, reportedly stayed out of the situation (?!), while Fede left the training grounds in a wheelchair!

As per Marca, everything ended with shoving and pushing, while the big cut and the concussion the Uruguayan sustained were an accident.

The club issued a statement confirming Valverde's condition...

"Following tests carried out today on our player Fede Valverde by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury."

"Valverde is at home in good condition and will have to remain at rest for 10 to 14 days, as indicated by the medical protocols for this diagnosis."

And then released another one regarding disciplinary proceedings against the players involved.

"Real Madrid CF announces that, following the events that took place this morning in the first team training session, it has decided to open disciplinary proceedings against our players Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni."

"The club will announce the resolutions of both cases in due course, once the corresponding internal procedures have been completed."

And while Tchouameni remained silent, Valverde shared his version of the incident in an Instagram post, denying the claims about the Frenchman's "knockout".

"Yesterday I had an incident with a teammate as a result of a play during training, where the exhaustion from competition and frustration make everything seem bigger than it is."

"In a normal locker room, these kinds of things can happen and are resolved among ourselves without becoming public. Obviously, someone here rushed to leak the story, combined with a trophyless season in which Madrid is always under the spotlight and everything gets magnified."

"Today we had another disagreement. During the argument, I accidentally hit a table and suffered a small cut on my forehead that required a routine hospital visit."

"At no point did my teammate hit me, nor did I hit him. Although I understand it may be easier for people to believe that we beat each other up or that it was intentional, that did not happen."

"I feel that my anger over the situation, my frustration at seeing some of us reaching the end of the season running on empty and mentally drained, pushed me to the point of arguing with a teammate."

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"I’m sorry. I sincerely apologize because this situation hurts me, the moment we are going through hurts me. Madrid is one of the most important things in my life and I cannot stay indifferent," Fede wrote, among other things.

The greatest clubs aren't used to disappointment, and that explains the tension. But everything that has been going on around Real Madrid these days goes beyond ordinary frustration - it's a scandal that is unworthy of a club of their stature.

Florentino Perez and the board will have to react swiftly and decisively. Otherwise, this may be just the beginning of an even deeper crisis at Santiago Bernabeu.

LA LIGA - MATCHDAY 35

Friday

22.00: (2.50) Levante (3.30) Osasuna (2.85)

Saturday

15.00: (2.30) Elche (3.40) Alaves (3.10)

17.15: (2.10) Sevilla (3.50) Espanyol (3.80)

19.30: (2.10) Atletico Madrid (3.45) Celta Vigo (3.50)

22.00: (2.60) Real Sociedad (3.35) Real Betis (2.70)

Sunday

15.00: (2.45) Mallorca (3.65) Villarreal (2.85)

17.15: (1.75) Athletic Bilbao (3.60) Valencia (4.90)

19.30: (3.05) Real Oviedo (3.10) Getafe (2.50)

22.00: (1.70) Barcelona (5.00) Real Madrid (4.20)

Monday

22.00: (2.35) Rayo Vallecano (3.40) Girona (3.00)

***odds are subject to change***