Diego Simeone suspension: Atletico Madrid boss given one-match ban for Liverpool fans clash
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has been given a one-match ban for “unsporting conduct” by Uefa following his clash with Liverpool supporters at Anfield earlier this month. After Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk scored a 92nd-minute winner in Atletico’s 3-2 defeat, Simeone reacted after he appeared to be goaded by a small number of home…
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has been given a one-match ban for “unsporting conduct” by Uefa following his clash with Liverpool supporters at Anfield earlier this month.
After Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk scored a 92nd-minute winner in Atletico’s 3-2 defeat, Simeone reacted after he appeared to be goaded by a small number of home fans.
The Argentine complained to the fourth official with a number of stewards positioned between him and the Liverpool supporters.
Simeone had to be dragged away from the scene and continued his protests before he was sent off and walked down the tunnel.
His ban lasts for one competitive Uefa fixture, meaning he will miss his side’s home game against Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday (20:00 BST).
Speaking in the news conference after the Liverpool match, the 55-year-old said: “Firstly I regret the part I played. It’s clear we are in a position where we do not have the right to react and it is not good when we react.”
Simone said he “could not remember exactly” what had been, but he took issue with the “insults throughout the whole game” from the home supporters.
“We [managers] are in a position where we are protagonists/standard bearers, so in the same manner that we fight against racism and insults in stadiums today, we could also fight on behalf of the managers, against the insults we receive throughout the whole game.
“It’s not easy to be in the position we are in and receive insults for the whole game. I saw it from far away after the third goal. I saw the third goal go in and I turned, the insults continued, and well, I’m a person.”
Liverpool, meanwhile, have been fined 4,000 euros (£3,492) for the throwing of objects.