D. Simeone defended the referee: 'We cannot show such disrespect'

2026-09-21 11:56 © ZUMAPRESS.com

Madrid's Atletico won the first city derby of the season against Real on Sunday.

However, after the match, both Real president Florentino Perez and the team's coach Jose Mourinho did not spare criticism for the match referee.

Such criticism of referees after the match was not understood by Atletico strategist Diego Simeone.

"We cannot show such disrespect to referees. It doesn't matter who you are, even if you are Jose Mourinho, you must show respect. Sometimes the decisions go in your favor, sometimes they don't.

In this match, everything was fairly clear. One team controlled the game and knew how to take advantage of the chances that arose at crucial moments. The other team simply had no chances, which is uncharacteristic for them," said D. Simeone.