Jude Bellingham has been handed a two-game ban after his red card in Real Madrid‘s 1-1 LaLiga draw at Osasuna on Saturday was upheld by the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee.
Madrid will appeal the decision that sees the England international banned for the LaLiga games against Girona and Real Betis.
Although Bellingham and his coach Carlo Ancelotti said the official had been mistaken, the disciplinary committee did not agree and imposed the punishment for “attitudes of contempt or lack of consideration towards referees.”
Referee José Luis Munuera Montero dismissed Bellingham in the 39th minute of the game at El Sadar — with Madrid leading 0-1 at the time — with the official stating in his report that the midfielder had insulted him, saying “f–k you.”
Osasuna then levelled in the second half with a Budimir penalty, as Madrid dropped two points in the LaLiga title race.
Madrid and Bellingham disputed the referee’s version of events, and appealed the decision to the federation, which is responsible for officials via its technical committee of referees.
Video footage showed the England star saying “I’m talking to you with respect” to Munuera while disputing a decision, before appearing to say “f–k off.”
“It’s clear that [the referee] made a mistake, there was a miscommunication,” Bellingham told journalists after the game. “I remember the incident very well, but also I’ve seen the video. The video doesn’t match the [referee’s] report … I hope the footage will be reviewed. We can’t change the result of this game, but I’d like to think that going forward there will be a change.”
Bellingham’s sending off being rescinded means he avoids the possibility of a lengthy ban.
“I think [the referee] didn’t understand English well,” Ancelotti said in his post-match news conference. [Bellingham] said f–k off, not f–k you. [The referee] made a mistake… I don’t think it’s offensive… Bellingham didn’t do anything to get sent off today.”
The federation confirmed on Tuesday that it had “begun an analysis” of media reports which stated that a company linked to Munuera Montero had business relationships with a number of football bodies and clubs.
The referee has denied the claims.