Bellingham and Rüdiger involved in half-time brawl at Mestalla

Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Valencia on Saturday evening in La Liga was marred by an altercation that occurred at half-time in the Mestalla corridors, in which Jude Bellingham and Antonio Rüdiger were directly involved according to Spanish newspaper Marca.

The match was already marked by anger from several Valencia players towards the refereeing. Pablo Maffeo had notably expressed his dissatisfaction publicly. But tensions reportedly took on a different dimension when heading back to the dressing rooms. According to Marca, Valencia’s sporting director Braulio had first vigorously contested certain decisions with the assistant referee.

The situation reportedly escalated when Jude Bellingham allegedly grabbed the Valencia official’s suit to try to move him away from the official. This gesture reportedly triggered a general altercation between players from both teams, during which blows were exchanged. Three security agents reportedly had to intervene to separate those involved, and one of them was allegedly struck by a blow from Antonio Rüdiger. Other journalists present also mention a blow struck by Bellingham, information that Marca did not report.

The most troubling aspect of the matter lies in the official consequences of the incident. Security agents reportedly informed the referee that they had been assaulted, based on video footage provided by the Valencia club. Yet this sequence was reportedly not included in the referee’s report. Only Braulio’s protests to the assistant referee were recorded.

This absence from the official report leaves uncertainty about possible disciplinary action. If the facts described by Marca are confirmed, Real Madrid and several of its players could be subject to an investigation by the Spanish Federation or La Liga’s disciplinary committee.