Bellingham swears red card a 'misunderstanding'

The England international was dismissed after 39 minutes of Madrid's 1-1 draw at El Sadar when he exchanged words with referee Jose Munuera Montero, who then reached for his red card. Bellingham said he was expressing his frustration in general rather than directing an insult at the official.

'Movistar' revealed, after the match, the words exchanged between the former Borussia Dortmund player and the referee in the lead-up to the red card. "I'm talking to you with respect. F*ck off," the midfielder told the referee before he was sent off. On the incident, Real Madrid boss Carlos Ancelotti said: “I think the referee did not understand Jude Bellingham’s English. He said f*ck off, not f*ck you… that’s way different”. I won’t talk more about the referee as I want to be on the bench next week”.

Bellingham also explained his side post-match. "I think you can see clearly in the video, I remember the incident very well, it was an expression (I was saying) to myself," said the 21-year-old. "I'm not even directing myself towards the referee, but obviously there was a misunderstanding. He's believed that I've said (something insulting) to him... There was no intent to insult him, there was no insult, and for that reason, I think you can see there was a misunderstanding."

Real Madrid have heavily criticised refereeing in Spain in recent weeks, sending a letter to the Spanish football federation calling it "rigged". Bellingham said he hoped video evidence of what he said could be used to help him avoid a significant suspension. In his report, Munuera Montero indicated Bellingham appeared to be insulting him.

"It's difficult when a referee isn't sure, to determine that I've said something that I haven't, and as a result, it kind of hinders the team," said Bellingham. "I only want to make sure that the team know that I wasn't irresponsible enough to put them in a situation where I intentionally wanted them to be left with 10, but of course being involved means that's the case. I hope that the footage will be reviewed and see that it's not the same as the report and that going forward the federation can keep that into consideration because it's huge evidence."

Bellingham said his conscience was clear after the incident. "The report, obviously the reason why he sent me off doesn't match what I've said," he added. "So I'm pretty calm in this situation, knowing that I wasn't in the wrong for saying to myself an expression that I've been saying since I was, you know, 16, 17 years old, rightly or wrongly."

It was Bellingham's second red card for Madrid since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2023, with the first coming last March after arguing with referee Jesus Gil Manzano following a 2-2 league draw at Valencia. "I think the one last year is a bit more difficult... I think I definitely put myself in a situation," Bellingham added. The draw earned Real Madrid a one-point lead on second place Atletico, who snatched a late draw against Celta, but was 'Los Blancos' third consecutive league game without a victory.