England legend Geoff Hurst has called Mark Bellingham, father of Jude and Jobe, an 'absolute disgrace'. The World Cup winner was speaking at a recent event in Bristol when he made his feelings clear.
Jude Bellingham is now considered one of the best players on the planet, having shone first at Borrussia Dortmund before then winning La Liga and the Champions League at Real Madrid. Younger brother Jobe followed in his footsteps by heading to Germany this summer, but his transition to Bundesliga football hasn't been as smooth as he may have hoped.
Father Mark, who also acts as Jobe's advisor. made headlines earlier this season when he held an emotional discussion with Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl, questioning why his son was substituted early in a game. It was also noted that Mark, unhappy with the team's tactics, sought a meeting with manager Nico Kovac directly, as he 'made no secret of his opinion'.
Bellingham's surprise visit to the dressing room corridor did go down well within the club, and Kehl gave a firm statement on the matter, saying: "The active area at our club remains reserved for players, coaches and officials, not families and advisors. This will not happen again. We have made this clear to all involved."
Geoff Hurst Slams Mark Bellingham
England's Jude Bellingham's mother, Denise Bellingham and father, Mark Bellingham in the stands
News of Bellingham senior's behaviour reached Hurst, who was speaking about the England national team at an event in Bristol. He praised Jude and Harry Kane as the two Three Lions stars he most admires, but he was not impressed by
Mark's Dortmund incident, noting (via Daily Mail):
"A thing that has irritated me is a picture in one of the papers about the most powerful man in English football - and it's Jude Bellingham's father.
"He was complaining when his son was taken off in a game - and that is an absolute joke. If you don't eradicate that kind of thing, that is an absolute disgrace."
Jobe has played in all of Dortmund's league, Champions League and cup games since arriving from Sunderland, starting three, but has failed to score or register an assist yet, playing in a number of different midfield roles.
Sticking to the national team theme, Hurst also went on to offer his thoughts on German boss Thomas Tuchel. He said: "Overall, you have to strongly argue the managers who have had the best results for our national side have been English, starting with Sir Alf Ramsey.
"And I must admit I generally prefer to have, as many other countries do, a national manager who shares the same nationality as the players.
"It's very simple when it comes to management - if Tuchel does well next summer and we do well in the World Cup, he will have done a fantastic job.He appears to have all the credentials to be a successful England manager but it just comes down to results."
Not First Time Questions Raised Over Bellingham's Behaviour
Mark Bellingham the father of England's Jude Bellingham is pictured in the stands
This isn't the first time there have been issues with Mark Bellingham brought up in the media. Daily Mail writer Oliver Holt claimed that he was treated rudely ahead of the 2024 Champions League final, writing:
"A couple of hours before the game, in which Jude was starting for Madrid, I went down to where Mr Bellingham was sitting in Wembley’s lower tier and introduced myself.
"I told him how impressed I had been with his son’s performance at a Real Madrid media day the week before and how it had been a masterclass in communication. It didn’t go well.
"‘Which son?’, he said. ‘I’ve got two sons, you know,’ he went on, his voice charged with anger. I apologised and said I had meant his elder son and that it was a stupid mistake. ‘Yeah, it was a stupid mistake,’ Mr Bellingham said. ‘A lot of people make that mistake and it really p****s me off.'"
Holt also claimed that many other journalists had been treated similarly. He then went as far as to say that Bellingham Sr's hostility towards the media has even caused a bit in the England dressing room, with son Jude often having very little to do with the press while away with the Three Lions.