Jude Bellingham has laid into Wilton Sampaio for his part in England’s heartbreaking World Cup exit.
Sampaio eventually awarded two penalties to Gareth Southgate’s team but turned down another strong appeal and ignored what looked like a foul on Bukayo Saka in the build-up to Aurelien Tchouameni’s opening goal.
And while Southgate refused to discuss the referee, Bellingham was blunt in his assessment of the Brazilian official’s performance, saying: “Not great, if I am being honest, not great. Anyone can have a bad game - players and referees - but I think he wasn’t where he should have been in terms of the level for a game like this.
“I think there were a few around the box - and you know how deadly we are from set-pieces, any one of those could have made the difference. This is definitely not me putting it all on him - we played the game but I don’t think he was at the level…”
And while a lot of Bellingham’s team-mates were trying to look on the bright side, the 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder admitted he was finding it hard to see the positives from a decent performance - but a defeat - against France.
He said: “Every time an England team has gone out, they will feel like it’s a missed chance, especially with the kind of form we had going into the game and the quality with which we put aside the first four teams. So I do feel like it’s a missed chance.
“But as everyone keeps reminding me, there’s more to come but it’s hard to see that at the minute if I’m being honest. You never know when I am going to get the chance to play with such a good group of lads again in an England shirt, so I just hope we can use this experience going forward.”
And whether or not it will be Southgate taking the team forward, Bellingham had nothing but praise for the England manager. He said: “I can’t thank him enough for what he has done for me. I have nothing but good words and respect for the manager
“Whatever decision he makes, we have got to respect the things he has done for this nation, for the team, the way he has progressed us from what was a little bit hopeless at times to a time that shines hope on the whole nation, a team that makes people believe.”
