Cristiano Ronaldo's past comments on differences between referees in England and Spain after Jude Bellingham's controversial red card against Osasuna.
With 1-0 up in the La Liga contest through a strike from Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham was incensed by a decision from referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero and cameras captured him ranting at the man in the middle.
Bellingham is no stranger to colourful language on the pitch but Montero believed he displayed dissent towards him and sent him off the 39th minute.
Advert
Real players, including captain Luka Modric, tried to reason with the referee but the decision was final and the sending off came back to bite Los Blancos as they drew 1-1 thanks to Ante Budimir's second-half penalty.
Bellingham said that he "never insulted the referee" and merely said "f*** off" as opposed to what was written in the referee's match report, while manager Carlo Ancelotti claimed that the incident was a case of mistranslation between the midfielder and the referee.
"I think the referee did not understand Jude Bellingham’s English," Ancelotti said, as per Fabrizio Romano. "He said f*ck off, not f*ck you… that’s way different. I won’t talk more about the referee as I want to be on the bench next week."
Bellingham has been involved in a similar incident before, having been banned for two games last season for using an expletive to protest a decision against Valencia which saw the referee blow the full-time whistle prior to Real scoring.
After the controversy, a warning from Real's record goalscorer Ronaldo about referee strictness resurfaced. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner explained that in England, saying "f*** off" would not be punished unlike in Spain, which Bellingham experienced first-hand.
Speaking in a 2018 interview with La Sexta, Ronaldo said: "I played in England for many years. For example, when there is a foul, the English say a lot of "f*** off" and the referees don't say anything.
"But if you say it here they send you out."
Bellingham ban update
Bellingham was hit with a two-game ban for his outburst at the referee last season after an unsuccessful appeal, but reports suggest a maximum punishment for this latest offence could result in a mammoth 12-game suspension if the referee's report is approved.
La Liga rules state: "Insulting, offending or using insulting terms or attitudes towards the main referee, assistants, fourth referee, directors or sports authorities, unless it constitutes a more serious offence, will be punished with a suspension of four to twelve matches."
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham, La Liga, Champions League
Josh Lawless