Jude Bellingham's dad branded 'absolute disgrace' by Sir Geoff Hurst after confrontation

Mark Bellingham - the dad of Real Madrid star Jude and his younger brother, Jobe - recently clashed with Borussia Dortmund chief Sebastian Kehl in an incident that made headlines

England legend Sir Geoff Hurst has labelled Mark Bellingham's behaviour an 'absolute disgrace' after he angrily confronted Borussia Dortmund chiefs following a match. Mark is the father of Real Madrid star Jude and Dortmund midfielder Jobe.

The former non-league striker and retired police sergeant helped broker Jobe's £31million transfer from Sunderland to Dortmund in June, as he followed in his brother's footsteps after Jude starred for the German giants between 2020 and 2023. Jobe hasn't hit the ground running, though, starting just three of their nine games so far this season.

On the opening day of the Bundesliga season away to St Pauli, Jobe was ruthlessly subbed off half-time by Dortmund manager Nico Kovac. The decision infuriated Mark, who waited in the tunnel after the final whistle to confront members of the club's hierarchy.

Jobe's dad, accompanied by wife Denise, reportedly got into a heated altercation with Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl, voicing his frustration over both the substitution and BVB's performance, as the game ended 3-3. The incident made headlines in Germany and was picked up by the English press, catching the eye of World Cup hero Hurst.

The last living member of England's starting XI from their 1966 triumph over Germany was speaking at an event in Bristol and didn't mince his words about Bellingham senior. "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," Hurst, 83, said as quoted by the Sun.

"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."

Earlier in the event, Hurst praised Jude and Harry Kane as the two current England stars that he most admires. But the iconic striker, who famously scored a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley, has no time for family interference.

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Dortmund have since banned all family members from the tunnel area in the wake of Mark's outburst. BVB's managing director, Lars Ricken, played down the confrontation when speaking on Sky90 - The Football Debate, insisting that there's 'no drama'.

But the Dortmund chief did confirm that the rule regarding families has been implemented. "We got Jobe Bellingham because we really built a relationship of trust with the parents over the years," Ricken explained.

"Now the family flew in especially for their son's first Bundesliga game and wanted to meet Jobe after the game. They stood in the hallway to the locker room and had an emotional conversation with Sebastian, which, however, is not a problem at all given this relationship.

"In the future, though, we will ensure that players, coaches, and any officials have access to the locker room area, so that we no longer get into trouble by commenting on such news. But today everything has been resolved - no drama."

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