Europe · 1 hr. ago

Jude Bellingham vents frustration at referee following Real Madrid's derby loss

Jude Bellingham and Jose Mourinho heavily criticized referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias after Real Madrid's 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Jude Bellingham vents frustration at referee following Real Madrid's derby loss

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Author: Barcex

The tension of the Madrid derby boiled over immediately after the final whistle, with Jude Bellingham leading the protests against referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias. The midfielder was captured on camera approaching the official and repeatedly shouting, "Two red cards! Two!" in clear disbelief at the match decisions.

Bellingham's frustration stemmed from two first-half incidents where he believed Atletico players deserved dismissals. The first involved a studs-up challenge from Cristian 'Cuti' Romero, which only drew a yellow card after a VAR review, while the second saw Kang-in Lee escape punishment for a heavy tackle on Fede Valverde.

The atmosphere turned even more toxic after Real Madrid were reduced to ten men in the second half. Manager Jose Mourinho was equally scathing in his post-match assessment, questioning the experience level of the officiating crew and suggesting a systemic bias against his team.

Mourinho also referenced the infamous Negreira scandal, implying that the integrity of Spanish football remains compromised. "Things happen in this stadium that aren't normal," he stated, reinforcing his belief that the refereeing environment has not improved.

Real Madrid have officially described the officiating in the match as "catastrophic". Club statement

The club has formalized its anger through an official statement, citing a lack of consistency in player treatment and providing a detailed breakdown of the incidents they felt were mishandled, specifically highlighting the 35th-minute challenge by Romero.

Prepared by TheGoalStorm based on reporting by goal.com