Diego Simeone has admitted he regrets clashing with Liverpool supporters after Atletico Madrid’s dramatic 3-2 defeat at Anfield, though he insisted his reaction was provoked by “insults for the whole game”.
The Atletico coach was sent off in stoppage time after confronting the fourth official and appearing to exchange words with home fans in the wake of Virgil van Dijk’s 92nd-minute winning header. Stewards intervened as the Argentine was ushered down the tunnel, still protesting furiously.
Speaking afterwards, Simeone, 55, struck a note of contrition but also called for greater recognition of the abuse managers face from the stands. “Firstly I regret the part I played,” he said. “It is clear we do not have the right to react and it is not good when we react. But do you know what it is like to be insulted for 90 minutes?”
Simeone claimed he had endured constant verbal abuse throughout the contest. “We [managers] are protagonists, standard bearers. In the same manner that we fight against racism and insults in stadiums, we could also fight on behalf of the managers, against the insults we receive. It is not easy to be in this position.”
When pressed on the exact nature of the insults, Simeone declined to elaborate. “The truth is I cannot remember exactly. I do not want to enter into the situation. I have to withstand everything that happens in front of the dugout, and know I cannot fix society. But when they identify the person who did that, I hope there will be consequences.”
