Jude Bellingham was sent off on Saturday for swearing at a referee — but the Real Madrid midfielder insists the incident that saw him shown a red card was a “miscommunication”.
Bellingham says his red card against Osasuna was down to referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero misinterpreting him swearing as an insult directed at the official. Carlo Ancelotti explained at full time the sending off was a mix-up over Bellingham’s use of the phrase “f*** off”, which he claims was used to voice his confusion over a decision as opposed to abuse the referee.
The referee’s report, published shortly after full time, has instead stated Bellingham said “f*** you”.
Bellingham was dismissed in the 39th minute following his protests to Munuera Montero. The 21-year-old and his Madrid team-mates had taken issue with a number of first-half decisions, with the Spanish champions having three penalty appeals waved away.
The England international’s red card follows a string of complaints from Madrid to the Spanish football authorities over officiating.
So, what happened exactly? The Athletic breaks down the incident and explains what unfolded at El Sadar.
What happened?
In the 37th minute, Bellingham was penalised for a foul on Osasuna winger Ruben Garcia. After the subsequent free kick amounted to nothing, Bellingham went to speak to referee Munuera Montero.
As Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera prepared to take a goal kick, Madrid captain Luka Modric remained in discussions with Munuera Montero as they walked towards the centre circle. Bellingham jogged in the pair’s direction and also began speaking to Munuera Montero.
He pointed to various places on the pitch and gestured with his arms outstretched over a period of nine seconds. It was initially unclear what Bellingham said to Munuera Montero, but the referee’s report and Bellingham and Ancelotti have conflicting recollections.
The referee’s report states: “In minute 40, the player Bellingham, Jude Victor William was sent off for the following reason: To speak to me, just a few metres away, in the following terms: “F*** you”.
Ancelotti, however, claimed Bellingham said: “f*** off”, which the Madrid manager compared to the Spanish phrase “no me jodas”. This roughly translates in English to “don’t take the p***” or “don’t mess me around”.
Ancelotti explained Bellingham said this in relation to his penalised foul on Garcia in comparison to a similar earlier challenge in the penalty area by Osasuna midfielder Jon Moncayola on Vinicius Junior, which went unpunished.
“It’s up to the referee, not Bellingham, who told him ‘if this is a foul, the other is a penalty, (as if to say) don’t f*** with me’,” Ancelotti said.
Bellingham said “this was an expression to myself not directed towards the referee”.
The referee then blew his whistle to stop play, showed Bellingham a straight red card and gestured for him to leave the field. 
The midfielder was visibly shocked by the decision and stood with his hands on his hips, appearing to say “what?”.
He surrounded the referee alongside team-mates Kylian Mbappe, Vincius Junior and Brahim Diaz. Munuera Montero waved them away to enable him to speak only to captain Modric. Bellingham eventually left the field and headed down the tunnel.
What did Bellingham say?
Speaking to reporters at full time, Bellingham said: “It’s clear that it was a mistake and there is a miscommunication. I remember the incident very well but I’ve also seen the video and the video doesn’t match the report.
“I don’t want to go too much in detail about what was said but it’s like a expression like ‘joder’.
“I hope that the footage review can show that is not the same as the report and going forward that the federation can keep it under consideration because it’s huge evidence. Obviously we can’t change the result but I think that going forward there will be a change.”
He continued: “There was no insult. You can see clearly in the video. I remember the incident very well. It was an expression to myself not directed towards the referee. But obviously there was a misunderstanding of what he believes I said to him. It wasn’t an insult at all.”
What is the difference between ‘f*** off’ and ‘f*** you’?
Whether Bellingham said “f*** off” or “f*** you” is the main point of discretion between Madrid’s recollection of the incident and Munuera Montero’s.
“F*** you” is considered a genuine insult. “F*** off”, meanwhile, in certain contexts is a way of expressing “you’re joking” or “you’re messing around”.
“I’m an English player, I’m from abroad, when I speak on the pitch, especially to myself it comes naturally to say in English,” Bellingham said. “Perhaps I should try to do it in Spanish,” he joked.
“I think the one (red card) last year (against Valencia) it was more difficult, I think I definitely put myself in a situation where I could be prosecuted in a way… that was fair. But in this one there was no intent to insult him (the referee). For that reason I think there was a misunderstanding.”
He added: “I’m pretty calm in this situation for saying an expression that I have been saying since I was 16 or 17 years old.”
How do Madrid feel about the decision?
Whenever Real Madrid draw or lose a game in La Liga, it is very unusual for players to speak in the mixed zone with journalists afterwards.
However, after the Osasuna game there was a lot of frustration with the decision to send Bellingham off and the player himself wanted to explain the situation because he was “outraged,” according to club sources who were speaking on condition of anonymity to protect their jobs.
The same sources believe that such decisions can not only result in the loss of key points for Madrid but can also could cost them the league title, in what is a very tight race at the top of La Liga with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
That’s why the club agreed to Bellingham explaining what happened from his point of view to journalists at El Sadar.
As mentioned in greater detail below, Madrid feel they have been unfairly treated by referees in recent weeks and seasons, and those at the club are growing tired of it.
Madrid will appeal the decision and should find out the disciplinary committee’s decision early next week.
What decisions did Madrid take issue with before Bellingham’s red card?
Madrid had a number of first-half complaints before Bellingham was dismissed.
In the second minute, Vinicius Jr attempted to dribble past Osasuna defender Alejandro Catena, who appeared to touch the ball with his arm inside the penalty area as he slid across the turf, but a spot kick was not awarded despite Vinicius Jr’s complaints.
The Brazil international appealed for a second penalty in the seventh minute after he appeared to be tripped by midfielder Moncayola as he entered the penalty area but again this was waved away. Ancelotti later said Bellingham compared this challenge to the one that he was penalised for in the build up to his sending off.
Ancelotti was shown a yellow card in the 21st minute for his protests when a third penalty was not awarded after a Fede Valverde header seemed to strike the arm of defender Juan Cruz.
Cruz was involved again in the shortly after the half-hour as he colliding with Kylian Mbappe, leaving the Madrid forward lying on the ground. Mbappe complains about the challenge but is able to continue.
Mbappe was then involved in a scuffle with Catena, the Osasuna defender taking issue with the France international’s fall on the edge of the area.
What else happened in the game?
Osasuna’s El Sadar stadium typically provides a hostile atmosphere for Madrid, with anti-Madrid and anti-Vinicius Jr chants heard throughout the game.
Madrid fans, meanwhile, could be heard chanting “corruption in the federation” on multiple occasions.
Madrid took a 15th-minute lead through Mbappe, the forward turning home Valverde’s cross from close range.
Osasuna levelled the scores in the second half after Ante Budimir converted a 58th-minute penalty. Eduardo Camavinga was penalised for appearing to catch Budimir late after he lunged in an attempt to block a shot from the Osasuna striker. The penalty was not initially awarded by Munuera Montero but given after the video assistant referee (VAR) recommended a pitch-side review.
The game finished in a 1-1 draw, leaving La Liga leaders Madrid one point clear of second place Atletico Madrid and three points ahead of Barcelona in third, but having played a game more than Hansi Flick’s side.
Have Madrid had any other refereeing complaints this season?
Just a few…
Madrid president Florentino Perez has long been critical of what many at the Bernabeu view as refereeing bias against their side, with the club further angered by two decisions which went against their side during February’s 1-0 La Liga loss at Espanyol. Madrid’s club television channel is regularly a platform where refereeing in Spain is criticised.
During the defeat to Espanyol, Madrid were frustated by referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz’s decision to not send off defender Carlos Romero for a 60th-minute challenge on Kylian Mbappe, plus Vinicius Jr’s disallowed goal in the 21st minute after there was deemed to be a foul by Mbappe in the build up.
The club filed a formal complaint to the RFEF and Spanish government’s High Sports Council (CSD) asking for the “immediate submission of VAR audio” in relation to the two decisions.
Madrid then chose not to attend an extraordinary meeting called by the RFEF of La Liga and Segunda Division teams to address recent refereeing issues.
Real Madrid vs La Liga’s referees: A timeline of mistrust ahead of Atletico derby
Madrid were due to meet at the RFEF’s offices on Monday to review the VAR footage from the fixture.
The tensions between Madrid and the authorities have been heightened by the ongoing Negreira case, which involves Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee who owned a company that was paid a total of €7.3million (£6.4m; $7.8m) by Barcelona between 2001 and 2018. Barcelona have denied any wrongdoing.
Speaking at full time on Saturday, Bellingham said: “I think it’s important to know that there are some brilliant referees in Spain. I think the other incidents maybe cloud the quality of some of them. But incidents like today won’t help and I’m here to clear any misunderstanding.”
Has Bellingham been sent off before?
Saturday’s red card was the third sending off of Bellingham’s senior career, having been shown a straight red card and given a two-match ban for his protests towards referee Jesus Gil Manzano after his last-minute goal against Valencia was controversially disallowed in March 2024.
The official referee’s match report, published online an hour after the game, said: “In minute 999 (sic), the player (5) Bellingham, Jude Victor William, was sent off for the following motive: After the end of the game and while still on the pitch, he came running over to me in an aggressive way shouting, repeatedly: ‘It’s a f*****g goal’.”
Explained: Bellingham’s 99th-minute red card and the goal that never was
The club argued that Bellingham’s words were not “offensive or insulting” but the Spanish federation (RFEF) found insufficient evidence to overturn the referee’s original decision to dismiss him.
The midfielder was also sent off for two bookable offences during Borussia Dortmund’s victory over Wolfsburg in April 2021.
During his time in the Bundesliga, he was also fined €40,000 by German football officials but avoided a ban for his comments about referee Felix Zwayer, questioning the appointment after a defeat to Bayern Munich and referring to to the referee’s six-month ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal in 2005.
(Top photo: Ander Gillenea, AFP via Getty Images)
