Jude Bellingham fined but avoids suspension from German FA for referee comments
German police are investigating Jude Bellingham's comments on referee Felix Zwayer after Borussia Dortmund's loss to Bayern Munich, Sky in Germany have been told; the German FA, meanwhile, has fined the player and Dortmund will not appeal the decision
Tuesday 7 December 2021 17:22, UK
Jude Bellingham has received a fine of €40,000 (£33,970) from the German FA for his post-match comments on referee Felix Zwayer after Borussia Dortmund's loss to Bayern Munich.
Bellingham hit out at the performance of Zwayer during the 3-2 defeat as Dortmund were left frustrated after the referee turned down appeals for a penalty - only to award Bayern one for a Mats Hummels handball.
The sports court of the German Football Association evaluated Bellingham's statement as "unsportsmanlike conduct".
- Police investigate Jude Bellingham referee comments
- Jude Bellingham hits out at referee after Bayern Munich loss
Borussia Dortmund will not appeal the decision, and Bellingham will be available to play in their next Bundesliga game against VfL Bochum on Saturday.
A police investigation into his comments is still ongoing.
After the game Bellingham told ViaPlay: "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 [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."
England international Bellingham was referring to Zwayer's six-month ban by the German FA in 2005 following a match-fixing scandal.
Robert Lewandowski stepped up and scored what proved to be the winner against his old club, in front of a restricted attendance at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund boss Marco Rose was also sent to the stands after criticising the Bayern penalty award, which came following a VAR review in the 77th minute.
Defending his decisions, Zwayer told Sky Germany: "The situation was a standard corner kick.
"I see in the game that it's about a touch by Hummels. The question for me was: Is the arm stretched away from the body or not? In real time, it was not clear whether his arm was moved towards the ball.
"I checked it with [VAR officials] in Cologne and then the arm position was checked.
"The video assistant made an assessment for himself and said that Hummels had his arm away from the body in an unnatural position.
"In the end, he clearly deflected the ball with his elbow and I came to the decision that it was a penalty."
