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.
“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.”
Hansi Flick can bring his Barcelona team level with Real Madrid if they win against Rayo Vallecano on Monday. Photograph: Alberto Estévez/EPA
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.”
Luka Modric was captain for Saturday’s fixture, starting alongside Bellingham in midfield. The league leaders’ dropped points – and Atlético’s 1-1 draw at home to Celta Vigo – gives Barça the chance to move level with Real at the top with a win over Rayo, who currently sit sixth in the table.
Athletic Bilbao’s match at Espanyol on Sunday was briefly interrupted because of fans’ racist chants. The match referee activated the anti-racism protocol and stopped Sunday’s game in Barcelona about 20 minutes in. The interruption lasted for about three minutes before the game resumed.
The Athletic forward Iñaki Williams denounced the chants after the match, saying they were targeted at his teammate Maroan Sannadi. Williams has previously been subjected to racist chants at Espanyol. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
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