In the aftermath of a controversy involving a red card that has been making headlines in Spain, Jude Bellingham has been given a two-match suspension, and the referee who was responsible for sending him off has been subjected to verbal abuse.
Bellingham has been punished despite the fact that his club has been fighting to have the ban overturned. In fact, they have even used quotes from Cristiano Ronaldo to support their position. However, the drama has also had negative repercussions for the referee, who was reduced to tears while being broadcast live on the radio.
The Englishman was kicked off the pitch by LaLiga official Jose Munuera Montero following an altercation that took place on the pitch between the two players during Real Madrid’s match against Osasuna, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Montero claimed that Bellingham had insulted him by saying “f*** you,” despite the fact that the England international insisted that he had actually made the statement “f*** off.”
On a later occasion, the individual, who was 21 years old at the time, referred to the occurrence as a “miscommunication” and insisted that he had no intention of insulting the match official.
Real Madrid cited statements made by club icon Ronaldo regarding the widespread use of the phrase “f*** off” by footballers in England and how it is not intended as an attack on referees. Ronaldo believed that officials in Spain frequently misunderstood the meaning of the phrase, and Real Madrid used these statements to support Bellingham’s claim.
After determining that Bellingham displayed “contemptuous or inconsiderate attitudes towards referees, officials, or sports authorities,” the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has decided to punish him regardless of the circumstances.
There has been a great deal of outrage in Spain as a result of the situation. It is even believed that Los Blancos have considered leaving La Liga. They believe that the sending off was the most recent in a series of decisions that have been made against them.
A separate incident that is related to referee Montero’s “extra-sporting activities” is also being investigated by the compliance committee of the RFEF. This is in addition to the fact that the RFEF is investigating Montero.
It has been reported that the official is the owner of the sports consultancy agency Talentus Sports, which is said to have clients such as the European Union Football Association (UEFA), La Liga, and football clubs such as Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.
As a result of recent occurrences that have brought Montero even more into the public eye, the Spaniard has now made his own statement in response to the growing amount of scrutiny.
On Tuesday, the 41-year-old individual made an appearance on the Spanish radio program El Partidazo. While he insisted that he had “never, ever” received payment from a sporting organisation, he also disclosed that his family had been subjected to a barrage of abuse as a result of the events that occurred over the weekend.
When the referee was asked, “Today it was my turn, but how long has the committee been suffering these attacks?” he broke down in tears while discussing the situation live on air.
They are smearing my nephews, they are attacking my nine brothers, my father, who is 80 years old, went to mass today, and… I had better keep my mouth shut.
“What are we putting together? How are we going to substantiate the barbaric statements that we are making in a newspaper? Are we completely insane? Are we attempting to control violence or are we encouraging it? This situation is rapidly spiralling out of control. With football, what kind of sport are we going to create?
After that, Montero disclosed that he had been unable to leave his house as a result of the unfolding of recent events, and he reiterated his demand for an end to the barrage of abuse that was directed at referees.
“I’ve been locked up at home all day, not believing what’s going on, I’m telling you honestly,” he continued. “I had no idea what was going on.”
“It is very difficult, and I am not saying it for myself; I am very strong mentally, but this is getting out of hand. I am very strong.”
My family, my teammates, the collective, the young referees, and the young people who are just starting out are the recipients of this reward.
“With football, what kind of sport are we going to create? Does this appeal to us? I really wish I knew who was responsible for all of this because if I did, making that demand would be the next thing I would do.
Additionally, Montero disclosed that he had been subjected to a large number of death threats as a result of the controversy surrounding Bellingham.
In addition, the Spaniard stated, “Before I received more than 100,000 threatening messages, death threats, and insults… what I did was silence my Linkedin account.”
My lack of fear stems from the fact that I have nothing to conceal. One of the people who is suffering the most is my family, and they are very concerned about it. Because it is impossible, they are aware that they cannot ask me to stop.
I make an effort to reassure them. I have tolerated this slander, but my parents do not deserve to be treated in this manner.
Because of the decision to suspend Bellingham for two matches, the star player for the Three Lions will now be absent from his team’s league matches against Girona at home and Real Betis away during the upcoming season.
This is in spite of the fact that Real Madrid has been doing everything in their power to clear their star player of any wrongdoing. Such efforts have included utilising Ronaldo’s previous interview to provide an explanation for why the Englishman’s outburst was not directed towards the referee.
A statement issued by the committee that decided on the punishment reads: “Finally and additionally, it is noted, based on the report of the linguistic expert, the public statements in 2018 of a prestigious player such as Cristiano Ronaldo, who played a large part of his professional career in England, and of the many English-speaking professionals, that the expression” f*** off “is commonly used, among other groups, by English players on the pitch, without this entailing any disciplinary sanction by the referees as it is not an offensive or disparaging expression.”
In an interview that took place in Spain in 2018, Ronaldo stated, “I played in England for many years and do you know what the English often say as a normal expression and nothing happens?” Ronaldo was still a player for Real Madrid at the time. The English are known to use the phrase “f*** off” quite frequently, but the referees do not respond because they do not believe that you are attacking them.
“If you say it here [in Spain], they leave you behind,” the speaker said. In order to communicate, you need to be a little bit flexible.
