Real Madrid Star Jude Bellingham Suspended for Two Games

The controversy surrounding Jude Bellingham’s red card has gripped the football world.

The 21-year-old English star boy received a red card in the 39th minute against Osasuna and will consequently be suspended for two games. According to referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero, Bellingham said “f*** you” after a dubious decision. However, after the game, Bellingham contested that he had actually said “f*** off.” 

Real Madrid plans to appeal the suspension.

Bellingham said in an interview after the game that it was a common expression that he has been saying in matches for a long time:

“There was no insult. You can clearly see in the video — I remember it very well. It was an expression to myself, not directed toward the referee,” he said.

“But obviously, there was a misunderstanding of what he believes I said to him, I didn’t mean it as an insult at all.”

He goes on to explain the differences in expressions, saying:

“F*** you’ is a genuine insult, while ‘f*** off’ in certain contexts is a way of saying ‘are you joking?’,” he said. “I’m pretty calm in this situation over an expression that I was saying since I was 16.”

The refereeing authority in Spain, REFEF, said the actions by Bellingham constituted “repulsive” abuse and he expressed “attitudes of contempt or lack of consideration towards referees.”

The suspension means he will miss critical La Liga matches against Girona and Real Betis. Real Madrid is currently 2nd in the La Liga table and is tied on points with 1st place Barcelona who have a superior goal differential.

Bellingham will still be available for competitions outside of La Liga, such as Real Madrid’s Champions League tie against Manchester City on Wednesday night, where they will look to survive their 3-2 aggregate advantage to reach the Round of 16.