‘Something unprecedented happened,’ says Ancelotti with Real Madrid to appeal Bellingham red card after goal controversy
REAL MADRID are set to appeal Jude Bellingham’s red card after he shouted “it’s a f***ing goal” at a Spanish referee.
The England midfielder, who faces a three-match ban, is involved in LaLiga’s biggest controversy in years after he was dismissed after the final whistle of a 2-2 draw at Valencia on Saturday.
Bellingham thought he had headed a winner deep into stoppage time, but ref Jesus Gil Manzano blew the final whistle as the ball was in the air from Brahim Diaz’s cross.
The former Birmingham star is set to discover his fate on Wednesday but Real are confident the red card will be rescinded.
Their argument is that Bellingham, who has only just returned from injury, was merely swearing and not being abusive towards the official.
The official referee’s match report was published late on Saturday night. It read: “The player (5) Bellingham, Jude Victor William, was sent off for the following motive: After the end of the game and while still on the pitch, he came running over to me in an aggressive way shouting, repeatedly: ‘It’s a f*****g goal’.”
Real boss Carlo Ancelotti said: “Something unprecedented has happened and it’s never happened to me before.
“We were annoyed by Bellingham’s red card because he didn’t say anything insulting. It was frustration.
“He didn’t insult the referee. He was respectful. He spoke in English and just said: ‘It was a f***ing goal’.
“Obviously he came close to the referee, but given what had happened that was pretty normal. He did not insult, not at all.”
On Real’s club website, the headline was: “An unprecedented refereeing decision prevents Real Madrid from winning at Mestalla.”
And the sub-headline read: “Bellingham scored the winning goal with the last kick of the game, but Gil Manzano disallowed it because he blew the final whistle while the ball was in the air.”
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Meanwhile, Bellingham was hailed as “a class act” after fans spotted what he did for a group of kids after the controversy.
Video footage from inside the Mestalla afterwards shows Bellingham greeting a group of excitable youngsters waiting to meet their hero.
The 27-cap Three Lions icon smiled for selfies and signed autographs for everyone waiting.
That included a photo with four kids at the end – two of whom recreated his famous celebration with their arms out wide.
Bellingham, decked out in his Real Madrid tracksuit and backwards cap, was happy to smile and engage with the adoring fans before heading out of the stadium.