Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham could reportedly be facing criminal charges over comments made about referee Felix Zwayer.
The 18-year-old launched a scathing attack on the Der Klassiser referee following Dortmund's 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich at the weekend, with a controversially-awarded penalty for handball against Mats Hummels deciding the game.
Speaking to the Viaplay after the game, Bellingham brought up Zwayer's previous six-month ban for his involvement in a 2005 match-fixing scandal, saying: "You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?
"For me, it wasn't [a penalty]. He [Hummels] is not even looking at the ball and he's fighting to get it and it hits him.You can look at a lot of the decisions in the game."
Now, Sky Deutschland reports that police in Germany are investigating the teenager's comments, with referee observer Marco Haase understood to have filed a defamation lawsuit.
Zwayer defended his penalty calls after the game, and a decision over whether Bellingham will be hit with any charges will reportedly be made later this week.
Ben Knapton
