Jude Bellingham could find himself in hot water with LaLiga officials after telling an assistant referee to 'f*** off' during Saturday's Madrid derby. Bellingham started for Real at the Bernabeu as they looked to get their title challenge back on track following a defeat to Espanyol at the start of the month. Los Blancos have been on the end of a number of controversial decisions in recent weeks. Their frustration with referees burst out into the open just 12 minutes into Saturday's clash with Atletico. After challenging Marcos Llorente on the touchline, Bellingham expected his side to be given a throw-in. But when the decision went Atletico's way, the 21-year-old snapped.
"F*** you, man," Bellingham loudly raged, with the pitch-side microphones clearly picking up his outburst. "F*** you," he added. Bellingham jogged away shaking his head, visibly unhappy. Despite swearing at an official, Bellingham was not booked by referee César Soto Grado. The incident was also not included in Grado's customary report to Spanish FA (RFEF) chiefs. But La Liga or the RFEF could look to investigate the matter and retrospectively punish the England star. Bellingham's mood likely did not improve 20 minutes after the incident when Atletico were awarded a controversial penalty through VAR.
Samuel Lino went down after contact from Real's Aurelien Tchouameni, who seemingly knew little about it. Former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez stepped up and sent Thibaut Courtois the wrong way just before the break. The hosts came quickly out of the blocks for the second half and Kylian Mbappe drew them level within five minutes. Bellingham's blocked shot fell straight to the Frenchman, who made no mistake.
Neither side were able to find a winner in the second-half, with Real dominant for large parts. Boss Ancelotti was left furious with the performance of the refereeing team after the game, particularly around the penalty. “I don't want to talk about the referee. We deserved more, especially in the second half. We had control and we created a lot. The penalty affected the team in a first half that was slower and less aggressive compared to the second," he said.
“The VAR gave the penalty. The referee was very close to the action and saw what happened very well. I saw a similar penalty in Athletic-Girona. Football people don't understand this. I don't want to cause controversy. The match was close and competitive like all derbies.". Saturday's foul-mouthed outburst comes months after Bellingham told a referee he was a “piece of s***” during Real’s 4-1 win against Espanyol. The midfielder escaped a sanction for those actions in September.
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