10-man Real Madrid draws at Osasuna after Bellingham red card for cursing at the ref

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Jude Bellingham's use of an English expletive to curse at the referee left Real Madrid a man down and unable to defend a lead as the La Liga leaders drew at Osasuna 1-1 on Saturday.

Kylian Mbappé put Madrid ahead in the 15th minute with his 11th goal in as many league games. But Madrid was outnumbered after Bellingham's red card for using an expletive while protesting the refereeing five minutes before halftime.

Osasuna pulled level after the referee awarded a penalty after a video review and booked Eduardo Camavinga for stomping the foot of Ante Budimir in the box. Budimir slotted the 58th-minute equalizer past Thibaut Courtois to unleash celebrations at El Sadar Stadium.

The draw in Pamplona put Madrid’s league lead in jeopardy. While Atletico Madrid failed to take advantage of the slip and stayed one point behind the frontrunners, Barcelona can pull level with its top rival if it beats Rayo Vallecano on Monday.

Next up for Madrid is a home game against Manchester City on Wednesday when it will try to make good on its 3-2 win in their first meeting of the Champions League knockout rounds playoff.

In what seemed to be a stretch of linguistic analysis, coach Carlo Ancelotti tried to defend his player by claiming that referee José Luis 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 "from just a few meters away, ‘(expletive) you.’”

Bellingham said “I don’t want to go into details of what was said” but insisted he was unfairly treated, saying the referee made a translation error and that there was indeed a degree of difference between the expletive when combined with “off" or “you.”

“It is clear that he made a mistake and there was a miscommunication," said the England midfielder, who got a two-game ban last season after receiving a red card for using an expletive in English protesting a ref's call.

Ancelotti was also shown a yellow card early after he complained excessively for what he thought was a handball by an Osasuna player in the host's area.

Following its loss at Espanyol, the powerhouse sent a scathing letter to Spain’s soccer federation to decry what it considered “adulterated” refereeing that favored other teams. The league president responded by saying that the 36-time champion had “lost its mind.”

The decisions by Munuera aggravated Madrid’s sense of grievance regarding the refereeing in La Liga.

"Things have happened in the last three games that everyone has seen,” Ancelotti said. “The VAR has reviewed plays in our area and not in the opponent’s area. … We just have to keep fighting. We played a good game today and we will try to do so again on Wednesday and in the next La Liga game.”

Mbappé had an up and down first few months while adapting to Madrid, but he has been scoring at ease in recent weeks and has 17 league goals, second only to the 19 by Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski.

Mbappé had an opportunity to bag an injury-time winner but Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera blocked his shot from an angle.

Osasuna, which beat Barcelona 4-2 in September when the Catalan club was leading the league, moved into seventh place.

Budimir’s goal let the Croatia striker equal an Osasuna club record of 57 career goals in La Liga, a mark set by Sabino Andonegui.

“It is always very special to enter the history of a club that is over 100 years old. I am very proud,” Budimir said.

Atletico Madrid remained a point behind Madrid after it was also reduced to 10 men and needed a late goal from substitute Alexander Sorloth to draw at home with Celta Vigo 1-1.

Pablo Barrios hurt Atletico’s chances when he saw a direct red card for a studs-first slide into the lower leg of Pablo Durán just seven minutes into the match.

Borja Iglesias earned a penalty when fouled by Robin Le Normand in the area, sending substitute Iago Aspas to the spot to put Celta ahead in the 68th.

Sorloth salvaged a point for the hosts when the Norway striker won a long ball and rifled it home in the 81st.

“After the sending off (of Barrios), my players were gladiators,” coach Diego Simeone said, “because playing 90 minutes with a man down, do you know how hard that is?”

Also, Alaves drew at Leganes 3-3, while a struggling Valencia took a 1-1 draw at fifth-placed Villarreal in a regional derby.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Osasuna's Ante Budimir celebrates after scoring his side's first goal 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 Vinicius Junior reacts 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)

Osasuna's Ante Budimir, centre left, celebrates with Aimar Oroz, right, after scoring his side's first goal 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)

Osasuna fans celebrate after 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 Vinicius Junior, centre, falls after being tackled 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 Kylian Mbappe, right is challenged by Osasuna's Jorge Herrando 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)

Osasuna's Ante Budimir, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal 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)

Osasuna's Ante Budimir celebrates after scoring his side's first goal 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 head coach Carlo Ancelotti speaks with the referee after receiving a yellow 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)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, rear centre, clashes with Osasuna's Jorge Herrando 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)

ISTANBUL (AP) — The head of Turkey's main opposition party visited jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Tuesday after six nights of massive protests calling for his release.

Imamoglu, arrested on March 19 on corruption charges, is seen as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule. His arrest has been widely viewed as politically motivated and sparked demonstrations, some turning violent, across the country. The government insists Turkey’s judiciary is independent and free of political influence.

Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Imamoglu's Republican People’s Party, or CHP, arrived at Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, in a convoy of vehicles Tuesday morning.

After a two-hour meeting, Ozel told reporters that he was “ashamed on behalf of those who govern Turkey of the atmosphere I am in and the situation that Turkey is being put through.”

He described Imamoglu and two jailed CHP district mayors he also met as “three lions inside, standing tall, with their heads held high … proud of themselves, their families, their colleagues, not afraid.”

Ozel announced the night before that Tuesday evening would be CHP's final rally outside Istanbul’s City Hall, calling for people to join in. He also said the party would appoint a member to the municipal council to act as mayor in Imamoglu's place, staving off the possibility of a state-appointed replacement.

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have been cracking down on journalists as protests have grown.

The Media and Law Studies Association, a civil society group, said eight journalists who were detained “for covering protests in Istanbul,” banned by authorities, had been brought to the city’s Caglayan Courthouse. They are accused of “violating the law on meetings and demonstrations," the group said.

The journalists were among 206 people prosecutors have recommended for imprisonment pending trial in relation to the protests, including left-wing activists rounded up at their homes in raids early on Monday.

Media workers’ unions have condemned the arrests as an “attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth.”

Meanwhile, the head of the CHP's Istanbul branch, Ozgur Celik, shared a letter he had received from the prosecutor’s office ordering the removal of poster of Imamoglu. He said he would not comply.

“You will see more of Mayor Ekrem on the balconies of houses, in squares, on the streets and on the walls,” Celik posted on X.

Demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, as well as smaller cities and towns across Turkey, have been largely peaceful with protesters demanding Imamoglu’s release and an end to democratic backsliding. However, some turned violent, with officers deploying water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray and firing plastic pellets at protesters, some of whom have hurled stones, fireworks and other objects at riot police.

The governors of Ankara and Izmir on Tuesday extended bans on demonstrations to April 1 and March 29 respectively. The ban in Istanbul currently runs to March 27.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said early Tuesday that police had detained 43 “provocateurs” over what he said were “vile insults” hurled at Erdogan and his family at protests. Some 1,133 protesters were detained between Wednesday and Sunday, he said earlier.

Ozel and Imamoglu's social media accounts posted condemnations of insults hurled at Erdogan's mother.

Imamoglu has been jailed on suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and bid-rigging — accusations he has denied. He also faces prosecution on terror-related charges and has been suspended from duty as a “temporary measure.”

Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people have been jailed pending trial, including a key aide and two district mayors from Istanbul. A further 44 suspects in the case alleging widespread graft at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality were released under judicial control.

Although Turkey is not due for another election until 2028, there is a reasonable possibility that Erdogan will call for an early vote in order to run for another term.

Imamoglu has been confirmed as the candidate for the CHP and has performed well in recent polls against Erdogan. He was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul alongside its predecessors for a quarter-century.

University students sit next to anti riot police officers during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)

Riot police fire tear gas pellets to disperse protesters in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025, during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

People shout slogans next to anti riot police officers during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)