Jude Bellingham has been banned for two LaLiga games for “contemptuous or disrespectful attitudes towards a referee” after he received a red card in the aftermath of Real Madrid’s controversial 2-2 draw at Valencia, Spain’s competition committee confirmed on Wednesday.

The England international was shown a red card for arguing with referee Jesús Gil Manzano, who had already blown his whistle moments before Bellingham scored what would have been a game-winning header.

The referee’s post-match report said Bellingham had shown an “aggressive attitude” and allegedly shouted “It’s a f—ing goal” repeatedly.

The Spanish Football Federation’s Disciplinary Committee handed Bellingham a two-game ban – the minimum possible for the offence, under its rules – on Wednesday, for what it called “attitudes of disrespect or a lack of consideration towards the referee,” with a €700 fine for the club, and €600 for the player.

In evidence to the committee, Madrid argued that Bellingham had not displayed an aggressive attitude, saying that the player had only spoken once to the referee, and denied that his words were offensive or insulting.

The committee found that the club had not proven their case beyond doubt based on the evidence presented, and so the body consequently had to accept the referee’s interpretation of Bellingham’s conduct.

Bellingham will miss Madrid’s LaLiga games against Celta Vigo on Sunday and Osasuna on March 16, returning for their match with Athletic Club on March 31.

He is set to feature for Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday, as they host RB Leipzig in the second leg at the Bernabéu.

Bellingham is also one yellow card away from a possible one-match suspension in the Champions League after picking up two already this season.

[Leadership]

Mohamed Salah has given Liverpool a major boost after the Egypt star travelled to Sparta Prague for Thursday’s Europa League clash following his recent injury lay-off.

Salah joined his Liverpool teammates on the flight to Prague after missing the previous four games due to muscle fatigue.

The 31-year-old has played just 46 minutes for Liverpool since leaving the Africa Cup of Nations early when he sustained a hamstring injury in a group-stage game against Ghana in January.

Salah’s substitute appearance came against Brentford on February 17, the forward scoring at the Gtech Community Stadium before subsequently being sidelined with a muscle issue.

He trained with the rest of the Liverpool squad on Wednesday and could feature in the last 16 first-leg meeting with Sparta.

Salah’s availability is significant for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp ahead of Sunday’s seismic showdown with Manchester City in the Premier League.

Second-placed City will arrive at Anfield one point behind leaders Liverpool in a tense title race.

Quadruple-chasing Liverpool won the League Cup final against Chelsea without Salah and also beat Luton, Southampton and Nottingham Forest in his absence.

But having Salah back is a huge lift for Liverpool heading into the decisive final weeks of Klopp’s last season in charge.

The Egyptian has scored 19 goals in all competitions this season, including 15 in 21 league games.

Klopp has taken his strongest available squad to Prague, with the likes of Darwin Nunez and Wataru Endo in contention to start after coming on as substitutes in last weekend’s win at Forest.

[DailyTrust]

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou are set to become significantly richer once their fight in Saudi Arabia is done and dusted later this week.

The two are all set for their contest this Friday and there are tens of millions set to pour into their accounts, no matter who wins.  

It’s an important fight for both men, with AJ looking to set up a huge 2024 in which he hopes to become world champion again, while his opponent will want to build on his first professional match against Tyson Fury.

The UFC icon stunned the world when he knocked Fury down before controversially losing via split decision.

It should be a great contest between two men who have stated they plan to be aggressive, and they will both be a whole lot wealthier once the contest is over. 

The official figures for the purse and prize money have yet to be confirmed.

However, what is guaranteed is that Ngannou and AJ will make millions from this fight.

The Cameroonian will take home $20million, which works out to around £16m.

This would be the most lucrative fight in his career by a distance and would be double what he earned against Fury.

This purse fee doesn’t include any pay-per-view money or fees for winning or lasting the full distance etc.

So, it’s possible Ngannou could earn well over £20m for a maximum of 30 minutes in the ring.

Meanwhile, this is also set to be one of Joshua’s most lucrative fights.

Reports suggest he will earn nearly £40m.

Again, this doesn’t include PPV fees or any potential prize money. 

These figures have not been made public yet, so things could slightly change.

However, what is clear is that Joshua will earn significantly more than Ngannou.

Some might think this is unfair, but the Brit is the more experienced boxer and former two-time unified world champion, so commands a bigger fee.

Meanwhile, this is just Ngannou’s second professional boxing match.

Manchester United are being considered as the frontrunners to sign Napoli forward Victor Osimhen in the summer.

United face stiff competition from Paris Saint-Germain, who reportedly want to make a statement in the summer transfer window.

The Red Devils will also have to compete with fellow Premier League sides Arsenal and Chelsea to secure the signature of the Nigerian star.

The Nigeria international, who has netted 13 goals in 22 matches across all competitions for Napoli this season while also providing four assists, has a €110m (£94m/$119m) release clause in his existing contract.

For now, the striker remains focused on the Italian side and will be next seen in action for them on Friday when they take on Torino in Serie A.

[Leadership]