An expert lip reader has said he is ’97 per cent certain’ that Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham uttered a shocking insult to Mason Greenwood during their heated derby meeting on Thursday evening.
The two English players had their first meeting of the season following Greenwood’s move to LaLiga Getafe last September and Bellingham’s signing from Real Madrid in June.
The 22-year-old mutually agreed to leave former side Manchester United on loan following the conclusion of an internal investigation into the player’s conduct.
Greenwood was previously charged with attempted rape, assault and coercive behavior in January 2022, but the charges were dropped by the CPS in February 2023 following the withdrawal of key witnesses.
During Thursday’s clash, Bellingham landed a crunching tackle on Getafe to force the ball out of play, and as footage of the incident circulated on social media, fans thought they saw the England international shouting the word “rapist” at the attacker had seen mumbling.
Jude Bellingham (white) and Mason Greenwood (blue) faced off in the derby clash between Getafe and Real Madrid on Thursday evening
Expert lip reader Jeremy Freeman is ’97 percent confident’. Bellingham has particularly offended Greenwood
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In his analysis of the clip, expert witness and forensic lip reader Jeremy Freeman told Mail Sport exclusively: ‘After careful analysis of the clip I am 97 per cent certain that the spoken word is ‘rapist’, especially when I understand the context consider where it is used.
‘The visual cues from the lips indicate the presence of the ‘R’ and ‘P’ sounds, and the word appears to end sharply.
“Additionally, the speaker appears to have a distinct Brummie accent, which I have incorporated into my interpretation,” Freeman added.
“Given the clarity of these visual markers and the absence of any viable alternative interpretation, I am quite certain of this conclusion.”
In the wake of the clip’s circulation on social media, Getafe have decided to take action and ask match referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea to record the alleged insult in his match report.
Doing so could still subject Bellingham to disciplinary proceedings from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), although it could be difficult to prove without audio.
Getafe also reported the incident to the LaLiga official who was present at the Estadio Coliseum to record the alleged insult, although the club has not lodged a formal complaint with Bellingham.
The clip was analyzed with Freeman taking Bellingham’s Birmingham accent into account
The alleged comment came moments after the Real Madrid sensation tackled Greenwood near the touchline
Bellingham representatives have been contacted for comment.
The Los Blancos star was a key figure for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who left the derby with a 2-0 win thanks to a brace from former Newcastle striker Joselu.
The win has taken the team back to the top of LaLiga, two points ahead of surprise package Girona.
Greenwood couldn’t have the same impact for his home side. He played the full 90 minutes in blue, but could only find the post with a shot on target in the second half.