Post: Bellingham s father is rude and hostile to the media, but the FA dare not offend him

According to the Post, when discussing the situation of the Bellingham family, Bellingham's father Mark is very influential in English football and the FA dare not offend him easily.

Two weeks ago, a problem that had long troubled the FA management was made public for the first time in a stadium in Hamburg. At that time, the Bellingham brothers' father, Mark Bellingham, clashed with Dortmund sports director Kyle in the St. Pauli home game. This game was Bellingham Jr.'s debut in the Bundesliga, but the player was replaced in half. Mark allegedly expressed his "disappointment" to Kyle for his youngest son being replaced and was quite emotional about the team's overly conservative tactics. Obviously, the scene was not very good at that time, and Dortmund later reiterated the regulations prohibiting agents and players' families from entering the locker room area. But for many people in the football world, Mark Bellingham's behavior is not surprising.

On the eve of the 2024 Champions League final, when the Post reporter met Mark at Wembley Stadium, the other party's attitude was quite hostile and rude, which made people funny. The reporter told Mark that he was impressed by his son's performance. Mark replied in an angry tone: "Which son? You know I have two sons." The reporter quickly apologized and explained that he was referring to his eldest son, which was a stupid mistake. Mark said: "Yes, this is a stupid mistake, and many people make it, which makes me very angry."

Several months ago, a young and outstanding reporter who was well-received in the industry was invited by the FA to watch a closed-door English U21 team match. In this game, Bellingham Jr. appeared and Mark watched the game on the sidelines. The reporter wanted to confirm with Mark about the rumors that the player transferred from Sunderland to Dortmund, but he received a series of vicious insults from the other party, which shocked and angry.

After the incident, the British FA officials were deeply ashamed of this and apologized to reporters. According to one witness, some of Mark's body language was confusing. What they think is even more bizarre is that Mark seems to be treated as a VIP after the game. For some, the FA's behavior of indulging Mark Bellingham seems a bit strange, especially when he is full of contempt for many excellent and capable people in the organization, he often puts the FA in a dilemma.

As Bellingham's father and career guide, Mark has a huge influence in English football. Many players' fathers are outspoken and strongly protect their sons. For example, the father of the Neville brothers is a principled person who is never afraid to speak out, but he is graceful and charming, not as hostile as Mark Bellingham.

Also worth mentioning is Bellingham's debut for England's adult team in November 2020, he has made 44 appearances in the past five years, but he has never spoken to the British media at the FA's pre-match informal media meeting. Other players will attend these media meetings, and he will only fulfill his contractual obligations and will not say more. Some may think it doesn't matter, but for the past 30 years every English football player has been asked to fulfill their media duties with the national team, and if you think Bellingham is popular right now, you should see how Beckham does it, and the same applies to Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard.

More importantly, all other England players currently perform media duties before the game. Some people believe that Mark's hostility to the media and Bellingham's unwillingness to talk to British media outside the contract have become a split point within the team, and other England players are also questioning why Bellingham can be the exception. Many former players and observers are also beginning to notice that Bellingham often looks different at parties in England. The FA hopes Bellingham will comply with his regular media duties and is afraid to face him and his father.

Why are they so afraid of the Bellinghams and sons? Many believe that if the relevant issues are forced to be dealt with, it may lead to Mark's withdrawal from England's business activities, and the FA is reluctant to bear the economic losses caused. Bellingham, who is only 22 years old, is regarded as the team's leader, or the team's most commercially valuable player, and is the most important commercial asset. If he stays healthy, he will be a regular in England's national team for the next ten years and has the potential to break all appearance records. Therefore, the Bellinghams and sons are too important to England to be easily offended.

And off the court, Mark and his wife Denise educated their son very well, and the Bellingham brothers were well-intentioned, kind, humble and courteous. They can maintain respect regardless of the other party's status and identity, but there are also concerns that Bellingham begins to look for enemies in places without hostility. When Tuchel became the head coach of England in October last year, the FA hoped that he could lead the team with a straightforward style so that Bellingham's treatment would be in line with other players. In an interview with talkSPORT in June this year, Tuchel made some mild criticisms of Bellingham, which many believe means that the players no longer enjoy special treatment, but how do Mark feel when he hears these words?