Jude Bellingham red card referee under investigation | OneFootball

Real Madrid were up in arms last weekend at the decision of referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero to send off Jude Bellingham for dissent in the first half of their 1-1 draw against Osasuna at El Sadar. The English midfielder is reported to have said “f*** you” to the official, although he claims that he said “f*** off”.

In the aftermath of the incident, Munuera Montero was subjected to death threats, and these have since have been denounced by the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA). However, the referee’s situation is not getting any better, as he is now being investigated by the Compliance Committee of the Spanish Football Federation.

As reported by Diario AS, the Committee has launched a formal investigation into the “extra-sporting activities” of Munuera Montero – specifically, it is being looked into whether he is in violation of point 9.1 of the Regulatory Code, which states “when the persons bound by this rule (including referees) have secondary interests that may interfere in the fulfilment of their professional obligations”.

Jose Luis Munuera Montero sent off Jude Bellingham last weekend (Photo by Chema Rey / Marca)

As per the report, Munuera Montero is the owner of sports consultancy agency Talentus Sports, whose alleged clients include the likes of La Liga, UEFA and even several football clubs, among them reported to be the likes of Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

This revelation has alerted the Federation’s Compliance Committee, who are investigating whether Munuera Montero has a possible conflict of interest. If he is found guilty, it is reported that he could be disqualified from refereeing for up to five years.

The investigation has only just started, so an outcome is expected to not come anytime soon. It remains to be seen whether Munuera Montero is allowed to continue refereeing while this matter is ongoing, with no confirmation on the matter having been released by the Federation.