Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham fined €40,000 by DFB for comments against referee

Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham fined €40,000 by DFB for comments against referee

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Jude Bellingham has been fined by the DFB

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In a statement, Borussia Dortmund has confirmed that Jude Bellingham has escaped a ban from the German football association but has been handed a €40,000 fine for his comments after the Der Klassiker. The midfielder questioned the refereeing in the game and even hit out at referee Felix Zwayer.

Following Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich, the home side were very unhappy with the refereeing decisions as referee Felix Zwayer made a few weird calls. He turned down Dortmund’s appeals for a penalty before giving Bayern Munich a very soft spot-kick following a hand-ball by Mats Hummels. That saw the players react in the post-match press conference, with Jude Bellingham the most vocal as he hit out at Zwayer.

The 18-year-old referred to the official’s part in a match-fixing scandal in 2005 and hit out the German, as he revealed that he was not shocked that Dortmund's penalty appeal was rejected and at the fact that Bayern Munich's appeal was given. 

"You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect? For me, it wasn't [a penalty]. He is not even looking at the ball and he's fighting to get it and it hits him. You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game,” Bellingham told ViaPlay.

But while it saw the Englishman lauded for his attitude, reports indicated that he could be banned by the German FA. However, in a statement, Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the German FA have decided against banning Bellingham and has instead fined the midfielder €40,000. The statement revealed that Bellingham’s behaviour was “unsportsmanlike conduct” and thus deserved to be fine.

“The sports court of the German Football Association has not blocked Borussia Dortmund's young professional Jude Bellingham (18) for his TV statement about referee Felix Zwayer after the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich last Saturday,” reads the statement on Dortmund’s website.

“Out of the emotion, immediately after the final whistle, Bellingham had reminded Zwayers of misconduct, which had been punished by the DFB several years ago, in a historical context. The sports court rated Bellingham's statement as "unsportsmanlike conduct" and fined the England international. Borussia Dortmund and the player have accepted the verdict, Jude Bellingham is therefore eligible to play in the Bundesliga game next Saturday at VfL Bochum.”

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