The Barcelona manager, Hansi Flick, has said Jude Bellingham was “disrespectful” to the referee after the England midfielder was sent off for Real Madrid. Bellingham received the second red card of his Madrid career during the team’s La Liga game at Osasuna, which ended in a 1-1 draw. The referee, José Luis Munuera Montero, dismissed Bellingham in the 39th minute for dissent, but the 21-year-old insisted after the game that he was wrongly sent off.
![[Hansi Flick ]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b764697fdd0141b6beae462af4ac180a5aa4bc1e/0_23_1386_832/master/1386.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“I do not want to go into the details of what was said, but I didn’t insult the referee,” Bellingham said in quotes reported by Spanish media. “I hope they review the footage because it was a misunderstanding, but I am here to apologise to the team as I put them in a difficult situation.”. The Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, backed Bellingham in clear terms at his post-match press conference on Saturday. “I think the referee did not understand Jude Bellingham’s English,” the Italian said. “He said fuck off, not fuck you – that’s way different. I won’t talk more about the referee as I want to be on the bench next week.”.
Flick, whose Barcelona side host Rayo Vallecano on Monday evening, criticised Bellingham’s actions when asked about the incident on Sunday. “It is disrespectful, but I’m not the one who should comment on it,” Flick said. “That’s what I’ve always told the players. Why waste time and energy arguing with the referee regarding the decisions he makes?”. “There is a player, who is the captain, who has the right to argue with the referee,” the German continued. “I don’t like the behaviour I saw yesterday and I told the players that today. It’s a weakness when you get a red card.”.
