Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone has apologised to Vinicius Jr and Florentino Perez for his touchline row during last week’s Spanish Super Copa semifinal between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The Los Blancos defeated Atletico 2-1 at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah to reach the final of the tournament.
However, what took everyone’s attention was the heated exchange between Vinicius Jer and Simeone. In the aftermath of the incident, Simone stated that he doesn't remember what happened and stated that what happens on the pitch remain son the pitch. However, the manager is now sorry about the choice of words he made during the game towards the opponent player.
Simeone apologises to Vinicius and Perez over Supercopa clash
Simeone's war of words with Vinícius was one of the main talking points of the Madrid derby, after which the Atletico manager came forward to apologize for the incident. During his appearance in a news conference on Monday, Simeone said:
"I'd like to apologise to Mr. Florentino and Mr. Vinícius for what happened.”
The Argentine football manager further said:
"Obviously, it wasn't right to put myself in that position, and I accept, obviously, that I didn't do the right thing."
However, the 55-year-old La Liga team’s head coach did not respond to criticisms from Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, who claimed that Simeone had "crossed a line in terms of respect of a colleague.”
According to TV footage, the Real Madrid winger and Simeone were captured clashing on the touchline when Vinicius was substituted. It was reported that the Atletico manager teased the Brazilian that club president Perez is “going to get rid of him."
Meanwhile, the 15-time UEFA Champions League winners were defeated by their arch-rivals, FC Barcelona, with a score of 2-3, to lose the Supercopa title. The Whites, who are second in La Liga, will next play Albacete in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey.
ALSO READ: Manchester United’s potential interim manager Michael Carrick has Cristiano Ronaldo’s approval