Jude Bellingham facing 12-MATCH ban after X-rated rant at referee as he releases statement apologising… to team-mates

Sponsored by. JUDE BELLINGHAM could face 12 MATCHES on the sidelines following his red card for an X-rated rant towards the referee. Bellingham, 21, was sent off in the first half of Real Madrid's 1-1 La Liga draw with Osasuna after what he claims was a "miscommunication" between him and referee Jose Munuera. The referee's report claimed that Bellingham told Munuera "f*** you", resulting in his dismissal.

However, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti claimed after the match that Bellingham had used the term "f*** off" instead, suggesting it is a phrase rather than a personal attack. He said: "I think the referee did not understand Jude Bellingham’s English. He said f*** off, not f*** you… that’s way different. "I won’t talk more about the referee as I want to be on the bench next week.". One person who won't be on the bench next week is Bellingham, unless of course his red card is overturned.

If not, Bellingham could see himself banned for up to 12 GAMES. The Spanish FA's disciplinary Code tells that any player guilty of "insulting, offending, or addressing the main referee, assistants, fourth official, directors, or sports authorities in offensive terms or attitudes" will be punished with a suspension of four to 12 matches. That astonishing ban means that, at the very least, Bellingham will miss Madrid's La Liga bouts with Girona, Betis, and Rayo Vallecano, as well as the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad.

Should the ban extend to the full 12 matches, Bellingham will then miss the majority of the remainder of the season. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. It's yet to be confirmed how long Bellingham will be suspended. But the England superstar has already apologised to his teammates for his red card, shutting down the talk about the misunderstanding at the same time. Seemingly hinting at an immediate return to action, he wrote: "Enough said about the misunderstanding.

"Just wanted to apologise again for leaving my teammates in such a tough position and thank the fans for their support and understanding. "See you on Wednesday at home". Bellingham defended himself while speaking to the media after the game on Saturday too. He told reporters: "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.