PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — Jude Bellingham was sent off in Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw at Osasuna after he used explicit language while protesting the refereeing on Saturday.
Referee José Luis Munuera marched the England midfielder in the 40th minute of the La Liga game after Bellingham complained about a refereeing decision while gesturing with his arms. The two exchanged words before Munuera pulled out the red card.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti defended his player and claimed that Munuera made a translation error of Bellingham’s use of an English expletive.
“Bellingham didn’t do anything that deserved a sending off,” Ancelotti said. “He said ‘(expletive) off,’ not ’(expletive) you.' I don’t think that was meant to be offensive.”
Munuera wrote in his refereeing report that Bellingham told him, ”‘(expletive) you.’”
Bellingham spoke after Ancelotti. He said he didn't “want to go into details of what was said,” but he insisted that his use of the expletive was not meant to target the referee.
“It is clear that he made a mistake and there was a miscommunication,” Bellingham said. “I want to make sure that the team knows that I wasn’t irresponsible enough to put them in a situation where they were left with 10. But of course, being involved in this situation, it looks like I was.”
The 21-year-old player who has become a team leader for Madrid, said he was used to using that language on the field and didn't mean it is an insult.
“When you’re on the pitch, emotions can get the better of you, but that wasn’t the case today. I was very calm in the way I addressed him,” Bellingham said. "You can see it in the video and by reading my lips. I read the minutes and I was right to use an expression that I have been using since I was 16 or 17, for better or worse.”
This was not the first time his mouth has gotten Bellingham into trouble in Spain. He was suspended for two games last season when he used an English expletive to protest a referee's decision in a draw at Valencia.
The red card means Bellingham will at least miss next round’s game against Girona.
Ancelotti had already received a yellow card for complaining about what he thought was a handball by an Osasuna defender in the host's area that was not punished.
Madrid was winning 1-0 from a goal by Kylian Mbappé when Bellingham ran afoul of the ref. Ante Budimir leveled for Osasuna from a penalty in the second half.
Two rounds ago, Madrid vehemently complained about refereeing that it claimed favored Espanyol in a loss.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham walks off the pitch after he received a red card during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Real Madrid at El Sardar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, centre, protests to the referee after being shown a red card during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Real Madrid at El Sardar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, left, speaks with Real Madrid's Luka Modric after after being shown a red card by the referee during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Real Madrid at El Sardar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A powerful winter storm swept across California on Wednesday, with heavy rain and gusty winds leading to evacuation warnings for mudslides in parts of Southern California, bringing near white-out snow conditions in the mountains and hazardous travel for millions of holiday drivers.
Forecasters said Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years and warned about flash flooding. Areas scorched by January’s wildfires were under evacuation warnings, and Los Angeles County officials said Tuesday they were going door to door at about 380 especially vulnerable homes, ordering residents to evacuate because of the risk of landslides and debris flows.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department also issued an evacuation warning Wednesday morning for the community of Wrightwood, a mountain resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, due to potential mud and debris flows from the storm.
Debris and mud flow was seen rushing down the road leading into Wrightwood in a social media video posted by county fire officials. Crews were working to evacuate some homes, the post said. County officials didn't immediately return questions about the evacuation.
Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under flood warnings Wednesday, local officials said. Parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties were also watching for potential flooding. Other parts of Southern California were under wind and flood advisories. Further north, much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area were under a flood watch and high wind warning.
Early Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a man trapped in a drainage tunnel in northwest LA that led down to a river.
Firefighters were able to get a ladder down through an opening, allowing the man to climb out, the fire department said. No injuries were reported, but the man is being evaluated.
In Monterey along the central coast, more than 5,000 people lost power Tuesday night due to a damaged power pole, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
San Francisco and Los Angeles airports reported some minor flight delays Wednesday morning.
Conditions could worsen as multiple atmospheric rivers move across the state during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The storm in Los Angeles was expected to strengthen into Wednesday afternoon before tapering off later in the evening.
James Dangerfield, an 84-year-old Altadena resident, said his family and neighbor helped place sandbags in his backyard earlier this week. His neighborhood was under a flash flood warning as of Wednesday morning, but he wasn't too worried.
The street he lives on is on a hill, so most rain water flows away from them, he said. For now, he and his wife, Stephanie, planned on staying in the house and spending Christmas Eve with their two adult daughters and grandchildren.
“We’re just going to stay put and everybody will have to come to us. We’re not going to go anywhere," he said.
Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 centimeters) of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters), National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said. It could be even more in the mountains. Gusts could reach 60 to 80 mph (97 to 128 kph) in parts of the central coast.
Forecasters also warned that heavy snow and gusts were expected to create “near white-out conditions” in parts of the Sierra Nevada and make it “nearly impossible” to travel through the mountain passes. As of Wednesday morning, there was also a “considerable” avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center, a nonprofit partnering with the U.S. Forest Service.
The National Weather Service said a winter storm warning would be in effect for the Greater Tahoe Region until Friday morning.
Atmospheric rivers transport moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes in long, narrow bands of water vapor that form over an ocean and flow through the sky.
Officials have taken steps to reduce the risk in and around the burn scars, with Los Angeles County installing K-rails, a type of barrier to help catch sliding debris from burned areas, as well as offering free sandbags to residents.
The storm has already caused damage in Northern California, where flash flooding led to water rescues and at least one death, authorities said.
The state has deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California National Guard remains on standby.
Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
Miguel Lopez sweeps water from Marlene's Beachcomber on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
Miguel Lopez sweeps water from Marlene's Beachcomber on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
Miguel Lopez sweeps water from Marlene's Beachcomber on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
Miguel Lopez sweeps water from Marlene's Beachcomber on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
A tourist from China battles the rain on the Santa Monica pier Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)
People look toward traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge from the Golden Gate Overlook in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
A pedestrian carries an umbrella while walking on a path at Alamo Square Park, in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
