Jude Bellingham has received punishment over his comments on referee Felix Zwayer, by the German Football Association DFB.
The Dortmund midfielder questioned Zwayer's decisions after his team lost 3-2 to arch-rivals Bayern Munich in the derby on Saturday, December 4.
Jude’s remarks suggested that the referee had match fixed other matches and was not fit to officiate such a much of high magnitude.
Bayern won the match via a late Robert Lewandowski penalty which was awarded in controversial circumstances.
“You give a referee that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?” Bellingham stated in his post-match interview.
The youngster was a bit lucky as DFB did not ban him but fined him a sum of ksh5,068,157 (€40,000) for his comments in what they described as ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’; a decision that has since been accepted by both the player and his club.
“The sports court of the German Football Association (DFB) has not banned Jude Bellingham for his television statement about referee Felix Zwayer – after the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich last Saturday.”
“Out of the emotion, immediately after the final whistle, Bellingham referenced Zwayer’s misconduct, which had been punished by the DFB several years ago in a historical context.”
“The sports court evaluated Bellingham’s statement as “unsportsmanlike conduct” and sentenced the England international to a fine," the statement read.
Zwayer was banned for six months by the German FA after being embroiled in a match-fixing scandal in 2005.
The referee was found guilty of accepting a Ksh 38,011 (€300) bribe in a game where he acted as an assistant referee.