17 February 2025
A Spanish press report revealed that the referee of the Real Madrid and Osasuna match was subjected to death threats, against the backdrop of his expulsion of English star Jude Bellingham. The incident occurred last Saturday while Real Madrid was preparing to take a goal kick, as Bellingham entered into an argument with the referee, and was then surprised by the red card shown to him by referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero, which angered the player and his teammates.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", referee Montero was subjected to a fierce attack on social media platforms, reaching the point of receiving about 100,000 comments that included insults and serious threats directed at him and his family, including threats of death and physical harm.
Montero was forced to disable comments on his personal account on "Instagram" due to the extent of the attack.
The Spanish League is expected to call for an urgent investigation into this incident, with the aim of enhancing the safety and security of referees in light of the escalating tensions and attacks they are exposed to.
For his part, Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach, commented on the incident after the match, explaining that the expulsion was the result of a linguistic misunderstanding. Ancelotti confirmed that Bellingham did not intend to insult the referee, calling for taking into account cultural and linguistic differences in such situations to avoid misunderstandings.
