Real Madrid's Bellingham shown red card after using English expletive to protest referee

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)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Fellow Republicans called Tuesday on a Minnesota state senator to resign after police in suburban Bloomington arrested him for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution.

GOP Sen. Justin Eichorn, 40, of Grand Rapids, was arrested Monday after detectives communicated with a man who was led to believe that he was talking to a 16-year-old girl, the department said in a news release. A detective arranged to meet with him, and he was arrested outside his vehicle without incident.

He remained jailed in Bloomington on Tuesday afternoon pending his transfer to the Hennepin County Jail in Minneapolis, Deputy Chief Kim Clauson said. She said she did not know if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf or if he had spoken with an investigator. Jail staff would not take a message for him.

The department said a felony charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution was pending, but the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said it had not yet received the case.

A message left at Eichorn's Senate office was not immediately returned. According to his Senate profile, he's married with four children. He lists his profession as entrepreneur and was first elected in 2016. His chair on an environment commmittee sat empty during a Tuesday hearing.

Senate Republicans as a group called on Eichorn to step down, as did House Republicans.

“We are shocked by these reports, and this alleged conduct demands an immediate resignation," his Senate GOP colleagues said in a statement. "Justin has a difficult road ahead, and he needs to focus on his family.”

Senate Democratic leaders stopped short of calling for him to quit. They have also stood up for Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell, of Woodbury, who was arrested last spring on a felony charge for allegedly burglarizing her estranged stepmother's home. Senate Democratic leaders have said she deserves to have the legal process play out first.

“The felony allegation against Senator Eichorn is deeply disturbing, and raises serious questions that will need to be answered by the court, as well as his caucus and constituents,” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, of St. Paul, said in a statement that echoed what she has said about Mitchell.

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges leveled sharp criticism of Eichorn.

“As a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District looking to have sex with someone’s child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up,” Hodges said in a statement. “I have always advocated stiffer penalties for these types of offenses. ... We need our state legislature to take this case and this type of conduct more seriously.”

The chair for Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn, a Republican from Grand Rapids, sits empty in a Senate hearing room in the State Capitol complex in St. Paul on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, a day after his arrest in Bloomington for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)