Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has said he has not talked to midfielder Jude Bellingham about his red card in the aftermath of the controversial 2-2 draw at Valencia in LaLiga on Saturday.
Bellingham thought he has scored the winning goal nine minutes into added time but saw his effort never counted with referee Jesus Gil Manzano having blown the full-time whistle seconds earlier, as teammate Brahim Díaz shaped to cross.
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The England international was then shown a red card for arguing with the referee, whose post-match report said Bellingham had shown an “aggressive attitude” and allegedly repeatedly shouted “It’s a f—ing goal.”
“I haven’t spoken with [Bellingham],” Ancelotti said in a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Madrid’s Champions League round-of-16 second leg against RB Leipzig.
“I don’t need to speak to him about this subject. He’s a player who gives everything on the pitch. He’s doing well. I think what happened with the red card was a mistake. The truth is he was frustrated, but he didn’t say any insults.”
Madrid are still seven points clear at the top of the LaLiga table after the draw at Valencia, but they could have extended their lead with a win, after nearest rivals Girona and Barcelona both also dropped points.
“You saw what happened, it was very strange,” midfielder Eduardo Camavinga said on Tuesday, when asked about the referee’s decision. “I’d never seen that in football. It was a very strange thing. Very, very strange.”
Ancelotti refused to say whether he preferred referees in the Champions League to their Spanish counterparts in LaLiga.
“I try not to think about the referee before the game, and I’d like to not think about the referee afterwards,” he said.
Madrid won 1-0 away at Leipzig on Feb. 13 — with Bellingham absent through injury — thanks to Diaz’s 48th minute goal, giving them a narrow lead ahead of the second leg.
“I like my job a lot, above all here at Real Madrid,” Ancelotti said. “But there’s more suffering than happiness… There are a lot of situations you have to control. Even after a victory, there are people who aren’t happy, maybe a player who hasn’t played. All that affects your happiness. You can share happiness with others, but the suffering is yours alone.”
Camavinga said that he has not spoken to France teammate Kylian Mbappé — who is in Spain to face Real Sociedad in the Champions League on Tuesday — about joining him at the Bernabéu next season.
“Do you want me to tell you the truth? I haven’t spoken to him,” Camavinga said. “He’s a PSG player. I don’t know what he’s going to do next season.”