Bellingham Suspended for Two Matches

Real Madrid’s midfielder Jude Bellingham has been handed a two-match suspension by the Competition Committee for his conduct towards referee Munuera Montero during a recent match. The committee deemed Bellingham’s words as disrespectful to the match official. Pending an appeal by Real Madrid, the English player will miss upcoming La Liga fixtures against Girona and Real Betis.

The incident occurred during the match against Osasuna on February 15, 2025. According to the referee’s report, Bellingham was shown a red card in the 40th minute for allegedly saying “Fuck you” to the official. Real Madrid contested this, claiming Bellingham actually said “Fuck off” and provided video evidence to support their case.

However, the Competition Committee rejected the club’s initial appeal, stating that the video and expert evidence provided were insufficient to conclusively prove that Bellingham said something different from what was reported in the referee’s statement. The committee ultimately upheld the referee’s account and imposed the minimum sanction of two matches for showing contempt or disregard towards an official.

Real Madrid plans to file another appeal with the Appeals Committee in an attempt to reduce or eliminate the suspension. If the ban stands, Bellingham will miss the matches against Girona on February 23 and Real Betis on March 2.

This incident highlights the ongoing issues surrounding player conduct and respect for match officials in professional football. It also underscores the challenges in using video evidence to overturn referee decisions, even in cases where there may be doubt about what was actually said on the pitch.