Bellingham confronts Referee after Real Madrid’s controversial derby defeat

Jude Bellingham confronted referee Ortiz Arias after Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid, expressing his frustration over two controversial first-half incidents. According to Madrid Universal, Bellingham was unhappy after Cristian Romero escaped a red card following a VAR review for a challenge involving the England midfielder.

Real Madrid also questioned why Atletico’s Lee Kang-in was not punished for a challenge on Federico Valverde. Bellingham reportedly told the referee at full-time: “Two red cards! Two!” The Technical Referees’ Committee later released VAR audio explaining the Romero and Dean Huijsen decisions, but offered no explanation for the failure to review Lee’s challenge, leaving that controversy unresolved.