England icon Sir Geoff Hurst has called out Jude Bellingham’s dad Mark Bellingham for his ‘absolutely disgraceful’ behaviour earlier this season.
Hurst is best known for scoring a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final as England won the tournament for the only time in the nation’s entire history.
At an event in Bristol, Hurst has slammed Bellingham’s dad for confronting members of the Borussia Dortmund hierarchy in August.
Mark Bellingham’s other son, Jobe Bellingham, had been substituted at half-time on his debut following his move from Sunderland in the summer.
It is reported that Mark Bellingham waited in the tunnel at full-time to confront Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl over his son’s substitution as well as the team’s performance after a draw with St Pauli.
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‘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 said.
‘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.’
Mark Bellingham is a key advisor for both of his sons and his confrontation with Dortmund’s hierarchy saw the German club take action.
After the incident, the Bundesliga side clamped down on their dressing room protocols and banned all family members from the area.
That was confirmed by Dortmund’s managing director Lars Ricken – although he also played down the confrontation and insisted it was ‘not a problem’.
‘We got Jobe Bellingham because we really built a relationship of trust with the parents over the years,’ Ricken told Sky90 – The Football Debate.
‘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 everything has been resolved – no drama.’
It was also reported Mark Bellingham sought a meeting with Dortmund manager Niko Kovac directly, making ‘no secret of his opinion’.
Jobe Bellingham’s brother, Jude Bellingham, played for Dortmund before he joined Real Madrid in 2023.
Jude Bellingham has been capped 43 times by England to date but Jobe Bellingham is yet to make his first senior appearance for the Three Lions and currently plays for the U21s side.