The Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee sent off for dissent, but Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid received a two-game suspension for the offense.
Referee Jose Munuera Montero’s dismissal of the England international came on Saturday to end the champions’ 1-1 draw at Osasuna.
Bellingham, who insisted he had been expressing his frustration and not insulting the referee, will miss league matches against Girona and Real Betis on February 23 and March 2 respectively.
The disciplinary committee said Madrid’s attempts to show that Bellingham had not insulted the official were “insufficient” to remove “the presumption of veracity of the referee’s report”.
Bellingham had said his dismissal was due to a misunderstanding.
“I think you can see clearly in the video, I remember the incident very well, it was an expression]I was saying] to myself”, said the 21-year-old on Wednesday.
“I’m not even directing myself towards the referee, but obviously, there was a misunderstanding. He’s believed that I’ve said]something insulting] to him”.
The Real Madrid team will file an appeal, according to a source close to the Real Madrid news agency.
Since sending off Bellingham, the federation has reported that Referee Munuera Montero has been subject to online abuse and threats, which the federation has called “repulsive.”
Real Madrid have recently criticized Spanish refereeing, calling it “rigged” in a letter they sent to the federation and published on their website.
Source: Aljazeera
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