Referee who sent off Bellingham is under investigation & could face a 5-year ban

The referee that controversially sent off Jude Bellingham is reportedly under investigation.

Bellingham was left stunned when Jose Luis Munuera Montero pulled a red card in the first half of Real Madrid's clash with Osasuna in LaLiga, with it reported the official thought he said 'f*** you'.

The England midfielder claimed he actually said 'f*** off', but the Los Blancos superstar could yet face a ban of up to 12 matches for the incident, which has seen Bellingham passionately defended by his head coach Carlo Ancelotti - and dubbed 'disrespectful' by the manager of Real Madrid's loathed rivals Barcelona, Hansi Flick.

It has also been reported since that Madrid are thought to be so incensed by the decision against their player that that the LaLiga giants are mulling a move away from the Spanish top flight.

In the aftermath of the incident, which saw Madrid reduced to 10 men and having to play more than half of the game a man down - eventually drawing 1-1 to lose ground in the title race - Munera Montero was subject to death threats.

In an unrelated incident, meanwhile, he has found himself being investigated by the compliant committee of the Spanish Football Federation.

According to Diario AS, a formal investigation has been launched into the 'extra-sporting activities' supposedly carrier out by the official.

It is said that it is being considered whether he is in violation of point 9.1 of the regulatory code, which states that 'when the persons bound by this rule (including referees) have secondary interests that may interfere in the fulfilment of their professional obligations'.

Munuera Montero is the owner of sports consultancy agency Talentus Sports, whose alleged clients include the likes of UEFA, LaLiga and several other football clubs, reportedly including the likes of Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.

It is reported that the official could be banned from officiating for up to five years if he is found to have have a conflict of interests.

Both Jose Luis Munuera Montero and the Spanish Football Federation were contacted for comment.

Regarding Bellingham's red card, meanwhile, Real Madrid are believed to have met with LaLiga's refereeing council (CTA) and accused officials of 'bias'.

Bellingham, for his part, is thought to be optimistic about avoiding a potential lengthy ban, as he shared his thoughts on the incident on social media.

'Enough said about the misunderstanding,' Bellingham wrote in a message to supporters. 'Just wanted to apologise again for leaving my teammates in such a tough position and thank the fans for their support and understanding.

'See you on Wednesday at home.'