FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - LaLiga - Osasuna v Real Madrid - El Sadar Stadium, Pamplona, Spain - February 15, 2025 Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham reacts after being shown a red card by referee Jose Munuera REUTERS/Vincent West /File Photo
(Editor's note: This story contains offensive language)
MADRID (Reuters) - An unlikely debate about translation and cultural interpretations of English profanity has ignited in Spain after Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham was sent off for verbally abusing a referee on Saturday.
Monday's mainstream TV shows, radio phone-ins and the front pages of newspapers and major websites wrestled with the concept of Bellingham's novel defence that he did not shout "f*** you" at the official, but merely "f*** off".
Bellingham, 21, was shown a red card in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Osasuna in LaLiga as referee Jose Munuera Montero believed the England forward directed the foul language at him. However, Bellingham and his coach Carlo Ancelotti said the official was mistaken.
"I'm an English player... and when I speak on the pitch it's normal that I use expressions that come naturally to me in English," Bellingham told reporters on Saturday.
"There was no insult, you can see in the video right away, it was an expression to myself, I'm not even directing myself towards the referee. But obviously there was a misunderstanding. He's believed I've said it to him.
"I've seen the video and it doesn't match the (referee) report. I hope that the footage will be reviewed and see that it's not the same as the report."
Ancelotti, who managed in England with Chelsea and Everton, backed his player's defence. "I think he (the referee) misunderstood Bellingham's English... The translation is not the same and I don't think it's offensive at all," he said.
"The red card comes out of the referee's nervousness. Bellingham has done nothing to be sent off. Absolutely nothing."
In the Premier League, players routinely use strong language when decisions go against them, and punishments are uncommon.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick took a different view when asked about the incident: "It is a lack of respect in any situation," said the German.
The forward could be facing a four to 12-game ban for "insulting, offending, or addressing the main referee, assistants, fourth official, directors, or sports authorities in offensive terms or attitudes".
Bellingham added: "What you have to understand is that there is a lot of emotion on the pitch and these details can cost you games.
"That emotion may not give the best of you, but I don't think that's the case, I've been calm and you can see it with lip reading, it's not what it says on the record.
"I'm calm, because I know I've only said an expression to myself that I've said since I was 16 or 17 years old."
While many observers will be bemused by Bellingham's defence, the player can point to a recent case that could work in his favour.
Last season, Getafe successfully overturned English striker Mason Greenwood's sending off in a match against Rayo Vallecano for an almost identical misunderstanding.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, Mitch Phillips, editing by Christian Radnedge)
