Jude Bellingham fined by German FA for referee comments

FRANKFURT (Germany): England midfielder Jude Bellingham has been fined 40,000 euros by the German Football Association for his post-match comments on referee Felix Zwayer after Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich.

The 18-year-old Bellingham criticised Zwayer after Dortmund's 3-2 defeat on Saturday, referring to the official's six-month ban for a match-fixing scandal in 2005.

The sports court of the German Football Association has called Bellingham's statement as "unsportsmanlike conduct".

Borussia Dortmund will not appeal the decision, and Bellingham will be available to play in their next Bundesliga game against VfL Bochum. However, a police investigation into his comments is still ongoing.

During Saturday's game, Zwayer turned down Dortmund's appeals for a penalty before giving their rivals a spot-kick for a Mats Hummels handball. Robert Lewandowski scored it to give Bayern victory.

"You give a referee, that has a match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?," Bellingham, who joined Dortmund from Birmingham City in July 2020, told ViaPlay after the game.

"For me, it wasn't [a penalty]. He [Hummels] 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," he added. Bayern's win in 'Der Klassiker' saw them move four points clear of Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga. (IANS)

Also Read: India's First CDS General Bipin Rawat Is No More, Several Leaders Including PM Modi Expressed Grief

Also Watch: