Diego 'Cholo' Simeone, Atlético Madrid manager, was sent off last night when he clashed with Liverpool supporters at Anfield, after Virgil van Dijk scored the winning goal 3-2 after Atleti managed to go from 2-0 in the first six minutes to 2-2 in the last ten. Simeone later said that he was being insulted, with cameras showing at least one Liverpool supporter "giving the finger" to the Argentinian manager.
Simeone had to be dragged by officials as he was confronting the supporters and was out of the field the last four minutes of the match. He will also miss the next match against Eintracht Frankfurt. He later regretted his actions but asked for a tougher response against disrespectful fans.
"There's always talk about respect, but they insult you from behind the whole game. I can't say anything because I'm the coach. My reaction isn't justifiable, but after 90 minutes of insults, it's not easy", he said to Movistar reporters. "The referee told me he understood the situation. Hopefully Liverpool can improve on that aspect, and when they identify the person who did that, there will be consequences."
In the press conference, he elaborated on his thoughts: "We [managers] are in a position where we have no right to react and it is not good when we react, because we are in a position where we are protagonists, but in the same way that we fight against racism and insults in stadiums today, we could also fight, because it is not easy to be in the position we are in and receive insults for the whole game. The third goal came, I turned, the insults continued with gestures, and well, I'm a person."