• Bellingham was dismissed during Real Madrid's 1-1 tie with Osasuna in La Liga.
• Carlo Ancelotti claims there was a failure in communication between the player and the referee.
• 20-year-old poised for period on the bench but will be eligible to play against Man City.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti asserts that a failure in communication between Jude Bellingham and referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero resulted in the latter receiving a red card against Osasuna for using inappropriate language.
Madrid's winless run in La Liga reached three matches following a 1-1 draw in Pamplona, where Kylian Mbappe's 25th goal of the season provided the reigning champions an advantage in the first half.
However, despite holding the upper hand, Bellingham and his fellow players felt wronged by several decisions during the match, prompting the 20-year-old to express his annoyance as Osasuna got ready for a goal kick.
Referee Munuera Montero quickly issued Bellingham a direct red card for dissent, leaving Tuesday's match hero from the 3-2 win against Manchester City in the initial leg of their Champions League knockout round play-off tie utterly perplexed.
Following the game, Ancelotti addressed the gathered press: 'I believe the referee misunderstood Jude Bellingham's English. He said f**k off, not f**k you… that's quite distinct.
"I won’t say anything further about the referee since I want to be on the bench next week."
Ancelotti also addressed the quality of refereeing in La Liga, remarking: "Odd occurrences have taken place in these three matches that everyone has observed." I don't want to add anything else.
"Everyone noticed that the VAR didn't check plays in their zone but did in ours." There exists an issue. An event has occurred that shouldn't have occurred. "We need to struggle and persist."
Regarding Bellingham, he supported Ancelotti's account of what occurred and maintained that he did not directly offend the referee. "I didn't say anything disrespectful to the referee," he stated to reporters. "It is evident that a misunderstanding occurred in communication."
"It's a phrase similar to the Spanish term "j***r"… and as a result, we are down one player." "It's not a disrespect, it was a way for me to express myself."
Madrid would suffer from Bellingham's absence as Ante Bundimir's penalty in the second half secured a point for Osasuna, providing Barcelona a chance to rise back to the top of La Liga if they defeat Rayo Vallecano on Monday night.
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