Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham was shown a straight red card in Saturday's match against Osasuna following what appears to be a linguistic misunderstanding with referee José Luis Munuera.
The incident occurred in the 40th minute when Bellingham was dismissed after what seemed to be a complaint about a refereeing decision. The English midfielder and Munuera exchanged words before the referee produced the red card, leaving Real Madrid to play with ten men for the remainder of the match.
Speaking after the game, Bellingham insisted there was a miscommunication about what was said. "It's clear that he made a mistake, there was a miscommunication," Bellingham explained. "I remember the incident very well but also I've seen the video. The video doesn't match the referee's report."
The midfielder clarified that he used an expression similar to the Spanish word "joder" and emphasized his commitment to the team, stating, "I want the team to know I wasn't irresponsible enough to put them in a situation where I intentionally wanted them to be left with ten men."
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti supported Bellingham's version of events, suggesting a linguistic misinterpretation was at the heart of the controversy. "I think [the referee] didn't understand English well. [Bellingham] said f--- off, not f--- you. [The referee] made a mistake," Ancelotti explained during the post-match news conference. He added that in Spanish, the equivalent would be "no me jodas," which he doesn't consider offensive.
The dismissal came at a crucial moment in the match, with Real Madrid leading 1-0 through a Kylian Mbappé goal. The hosts would later equalize through Ante Budimir's penalty in the second half, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
Prior to Bellingham's sending off, Ancelotti himself had received a yellow card for protesting what he believed was an unpunished handball by an Osasuna defender in the penalty area.
Bellingham has called for a review of the match footage, suggesting that the video evidence contradicts the referee's report. "I hope the footage will be reviewed and see that it's not the same as the report and that going forward they can keep that in consideration because it's huge evidence. We can't change the result of this game but I'd like to think that going forward there will be a change."
Ancelotti, when asked if he would discuss the incident with Bellingham, firmly stated his position: "I'm in favour of talking to the referee, not Bellingham." The Italian manager further defended his player, saying, "Bellingham didn't do anything to get sent off today. He's [the referee] made a mistake with the translation."
