Watch: Jude Bellingham abuse goes unpunished in Madrid derby

While Real Madrid fumed about the award of a penalty to rivals Atletico Madrid for a challenge on Samuel Lino in the first half, Los Colchoneros were baffled about the decision not to send off Dani Ceballos for a dangerous challenge on Pablo Barrios during their 1-1 derby clash on Saturday. Both sides have a long list of grievances they feel have gone unheard, and the latest sequel to escape the ears of the officials in the opinion of Atletico fans is a foul-mouthed tirade by Jude Bellingham.

The 21-year-old star has stood out for his passion and driven nature since arriving in the Spanish capital, but it has at times spilled over. He was sent off for dissent against Valencia last season after seeing a goal controversially disallowed at Mestalla. However it was not the first time that he had become less than polite with the officials, after repeatedly telling Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes to ‘f*** off’ during a 2-0 win over Granada at the Santiago Bernabeu in November 2023.

That game he escaped punishment despite already having been booked, and on Saturday night, certainly Los Rojiblancos were confused by the decision not to admonish him. Movistar+ published images and sound where after the linesman gave a decision against him, Bellingham shouts ‘F*** you man, f*** off’. After complaining to the referee, he is also seen grabbing his genitals in a show of his discontent.

#RealMadrid star Jude Bellingham escaped punishment on Saturday after a salty encounter with the linesman was picked up by Movistar.

🔊Warning: NSFW/Foul languagepic.twitter.com/Wls4boktsR

— Football España (@footballespana_) February 10, 2025

He is not the first player to curse a referee, nor the first to escape action, but the inconsistency of officials has caused no shortage of frustration in Spain. Last year, as pointed out by Cadena Cope, on-loan Getafe forward Mason Greenwood was mistakenly sent off for saying what Gonzalez Fuertes believed to be ‘f*** you’, which was later rescinded after they proved it was not what he said. On various occasions, La Liga players have seen sending offs for simply telling referees they are ‘very bad’ too, albeit in Spanish.