Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde doubles down on refusal to criticise referees - 'I know myself'

Federico Valverde has released a statement revealing why he did not criticise La Liga referees after Real Madrid were embroiled in another controversy over the weekend. Jude Bellingham was dismissed in the first half of the 1-1 draw at Osasuna for swearing at referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero, much to the dismay of Madrid supporters, players, and manager Carlo Ancelotti alike.

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Federico Valverde has said that "I know myself" in his defence of La Liga referees despite another frenzy involving Real Madrid and Spanish officials.

The Uruguayan midfielder, who has filled in at right-back in recent matches for Los Blancos, refused to criticise referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero for sending off Jude Bellingham during the 1-1 draw at Osasuna, where the England midfielder was adjudged to have sworn at the man in the middle.

That caused outrage amongst Madrid factions, with manager Carlo Ancelotti claiming that Montero "did not understand" Bellingham's English, while the midfielder strenuously denied the allegation made by the referee, calling the encounter a "misunderstanding".

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Hansi Flick, the Barcelona manager, said that the incident was "disrespectful" and said that he did not like the behaviour that Bellingham showed.

Now, there is another element to the story, with midfielder Valverde telling the media ahead of Madrid's UEFA Champions League play-off second leg against Manchester City that he would never tell a team-mate not to protest a referee's decision, but he said that he could understand the difficulty of the official's job.

That sparked outrage amongst Madrid fans, forcing the Uruguayan to take to social media and release a statement to clarify his position.

In the statement, Valverde doubled down on his support for officials, emphasising that he acknowledged refereeing hardships that Madrid have supposedly endured, but that he "knows himself", and refused to elaborate any further.

"I don’t want anyone to misinterpret me, but above all I want to clarify to our fans; if today I didn’t speak about the refereeing we are suffering, it’s because I KNOW MYSELF, and I must concentrate on tomorrow," Valverde's statement read.

"Everyone has seen what is happening to us in this league season, and I’m not forgetting it, but now we must focus on tomorrow and I will be at 100% as I always have been."

In a follow-up press conference, the midfielder said that he was "not the type of person to swear at a ref, at a person that's also doing his job", and sympathised with referees, who "are all humans, we can all make mistakes".

Madrid are currently sat second on goal difference in the Spanish top tier, level on points with league leaders Barcelona, although city rivals Atletico Madrid are hot on their heels, just a point shy of them in third.

Real are next in action on Wednesday, when they welcome Manchester City back to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of their Champions League play-off knockout round, and they go into the game with a 3-2 advantage having secured a priceless late victory at Etihad Stadium thanks to Jude Bellingham's injury-time winner.

You can watch that game, along with the rest of Wednesday's action, exclusively live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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