Borussia Dortmund gave their best against Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker on Saturday, but were ultimately undone by two Robert Lewandowski goals and one from Kingsley Coman.
Lewandowski’s second, a winner from the spot in the 3-2 victory for the Bavarians, wasn’t without controversy.
MORE: Michael Owen’s brutal statement
A marginal handball decision was eventually given against Dortmund after a VAR review, and that’s something which clearly grated on Jude Bellingham.
Speaking to Jan Aage Fjortoft after the match, he didn’t hold back.
“You give a referee that, you know, has match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany” he said. “What do you expect?”
Unfortunately for the England international, those words could come back to haunt him as it appears that a defamation complaint has been made against him from referee observer, Marco Haase, on behalf of the DFB (Deutscher Fußball-Bund) – the German Football Association.
??? | NEW: Referee observer Marco Haase (for the DFB) has filed a criminal complaint against Jude Bellingham for defamation
Via @BILD
— Football For All (@FootballlForAll) December 5, 2021
Furthermore, Dortmund and Bayern have both reacted to the outcry, and with differing points of view.
“I’m the last person, who doesn’t have understanding for players emotions but of course that’s a huge step too far,” Bayern director, Oliver Kahn, noted, cited by The Sun.
“I don’t know where he gets the idea to make such a statement.”
Dortmund’s sporting director, Michael Zorc, didn’t see Bellingham’s comments as an issue.
“The boy is 18, talking after a heated, emotional game,” he said.
“He names old facts, you don’t have to do that. He’s just a hot spur. The things are in the world now, but we stand by him. I don’t see anything problematic in terms of criminal law.”
Whilst Bellingham’s manager, Marco Rose, was just as supportive.
“These are statements that were made in a highly emotional and disappointed situation,” he added.
“You certainly don’t have to do it like that, but Jude also names facts. We fully support the boys.”