Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham given two-game ban over ‘disrespect’ towards ref
Bellingham claims he was wrongly dismissed but has been hit with a two-game suspension by the Spanish football federation.
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has been handed a two-match ban following his sending-off at Osasuna on Saturday.
The England international was shown a straight red card for foul and abusive language by referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero during the 1-1 draw in LaLiga.
Bellingham claims he was wrongly dismissed but has been hit with a two-game suspension by the Spanish football federation.
The governing body announced on Wednesday that it had dished out the ban for what it called “disrespectful or inconsiderate attitudes towards referees, managers or sports authorities”.
Speaking about the sending off, Bellingham was quoted in the Spanish media as saying: “I do not want to go into the details of what was said, but I didn’t insult the referee.
“I hope they review the footage because it was a misunderstanding, but I am here to apologise to the team as I put them in a difficult situation.”
Real boss Carlo Ancelotti backed Bellingham at his post-match press conference on Saturday, saying: “I think the referee did not understand Jude Bellingham’s English. He said f*** off, not f*** you… that’s way different.
“I won’t talk more about the referee as I want to be on the bench next week.”
