REAL MADRID star Jude Bellingham could be spared a hefty ban by mounting a defence used by Mason Greenwood last season.
Bellingham, 21, was sent off during Los Blancos’ LaLiga clash with Osasuna on Saturday.
The England star was adjudged to have said “f*** you” towards referee Jose Munuera.
After the 1-1 draw Bellingham contested the decision, claiming that he actually said “f*** off”.
Red cards for using “offensive terms or attitudes” towards match officials in LaLiga are punishable by bans of between four and 12 matches.
Bellingham, however, will hope that his defence sees his red card be rescinded.
Last season, during his loan spell at Getafe from Manchester United, Greenwood was sent off for allegedly saying “f*** you” to whistler Jorge Figueroa Vasquez.
But it later emerged that the forward, now of Marseille, had actually sworn in frustration at how many times he had been fouled.
Upon Greenwood’s ban being rescinded, a Spanish FA statement said: “The task of this disciplinary body is not to re-referee the matches, without determining, where appropriate, the existence of a manifest material error in the referee’s description of the action.
“The repeated viewing of the images, in fact, has allowed this Committee to conclude, beyond any doubt, that the action that led to the expulsion did not occur as described by the referee and, ultimately, prove the material error manifest in the referee’s report.
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“These images demonstrate that the player actually said ‘One, two, three, four, f***.”
After Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Osasuna, Bellingham said: “It’s clear that it was a mistake and there is a miscommunication.
“I remember the incident very well but I’ve also seen the video and the video doesn’t match the report.
“I don’t want to go too much in detail about what was said but it’s like a expression like ‘jo***’. I hope that the footage review can show that is not the same as the report and going forward that the federation can keep it under consideration because it’s huge evidence.
“Obviously, we can’t change the result but I think that going forward there will be a change.
“There was no insult. You can see clearly in the video. I remember the incident very well. It was an expression to myself not directed towards the referee.
‘A MISUNDERSTANDING’
“But obviously, there was a misunderstanding of what he believes I said to him. It wasn’t an insult at all.”
Last week, TV mics picked up an X-rated Bellingham rant directed at a linesman during Real Madrid‘s clash with Atletico.
He shouted: “F*** you man! F*** off!”
Even though he swore at an official, the midfielder escaped any punishment on that occasion.
Should he receive a standard three-game ban, he would still miss LaLiga clashes with Girona, Betis, and Rayo Vallecano.
Boss Carlo Ancelotti was upset with the officials, rather than his player, after Saturday’s incident, saying: “I’ve nothing to say to Jude. I should talk to the referee, not to Jude.”
