Three Lions midfielder Jude Bellingham has offered his explanation for a fiery verbal exchange with Ghana’s coaching staff during England’s tense World Cup group-stage draw, as Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz placed responsibility for the incident squarely on the Real Madrid star.

The confrontation erupted at half-time of Tuesday’s Group L match in Boston, where tempers flared following a hard-fought first half. Bellingham was first seen arguing with Ghana assistant coach John Paintsil before engaging in a furious shouting match with Queiroz himself.

England forward Morgan Rogers eventually escorted Bellingham away while head coach Thomas Tuchel stepped in to calm the situation. Winger Noni Madueke was also spotted exchanging words with the Ghana boss during the heated moments.

The row stemmed from a rough challenge by Bellingham on Jerome Opoku, after which the midfielder appeared to push the Ghana defender. Bellingham later claimed that the Ghana bench was attempting to influence Honduran referee Said Martinez into showing him a yellow card.

“It was just after I made a silly tackle, to be honest,” Bellingham said after the goalless draw, which still left England well positioned to advance to the last 32. “I was trying to win the ball, but I followed through a bit and caught the lad. I spoke to him afterwards, and then their bench jumped up trying to get me booked.

“I think their manager—I just recognised him. He’s obviously the one who used to be at Manchester United [in two spells as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant]. I have great respect, it’s just the competitive edge for both of us.”

Queiroz, however, maintained that Bellingham’s use of foul language escalated the altercation. The Ghana coach also suggested the England midfielder could have been sent off for his challenge on Opoku, though no cards were shown for either the tackle or the ensuing incident.

“My first intention was to tell him to calm down after that tackle,” Queiroz explained. “It could have been a second yellow or even a red card—it was clear because he went in with his foot on our player. But my first thought was to cool the situation as I was worried the player was not fully okay.”

“He reacted badly and used some bad words, and that’s how it all started,” the Portuguese coach continued. “In the heat of the moment, these things can happen. He swore, and that raised the tension. It’s football—it’s not something special. One word created a bit of fire, but we cooled down. Football isn’t like dancing in a ballroom wearing tuxedos. It’s not a show.”

Tuchel later defended his player, insisting that Bellingham’s passion was a reflection of competitive spirit rather than indiscipline. “No one got under our skin,” the England boss said in his post-match conference. “It was an exchange of emotions, and of course Jude stood up for himself and for us as a team.

“There’s no problem with that. We were calm at half-time. We understand that emotions are part of the game, but we don’t want to get distracted by things that don’t help us.”

When asked about Queiroz’s claim that Bellingham might have been sent off, Tuchel replied firmly: “I didn’t see any red card for us today.”