Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone was unimpressed with Arsenal defender Ben White who left the field after the Champions League match against Metropolitano.
Ben White and Diego Simeone had a frosty exchange
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone and Ben White engaged in a heated confrontation following Arsenal’s 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital. Simeone appears to have a problem with White walking across his team’s crest on the grass in front of the tunnel leading into the stadium grounds.
The Atlético player first hit White in the face as he began to move off the pitch, before Simeone guided his charge. The former Argentina international then appeared to slap White twice on the back as the Arsenal player did not take kindly to his opponent’s approach, leading to a heated exchange of words.
Simeone then twice pushed White aside as the teams nearly separated heading into the tunnel. Cooler heads could be almost universal.
The meeting was in stark contrast to the greeting given by his compatriot and Arsenal manager Gabriel Heinze. The pair exchanged a hug before going their separate ways, with Simeone receiving a frosty welcome after shaking hands with Arsenal’s coaching team.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta may have deliberately avoided leaving the pitch, but there were certainly signs of anger in his demeanor. The Gunners had a penalty canceled in the second period of the game, denying them the chance to level the score.
read more: Steven Gerrard clashes with Martin Keown over Mikel Arteta’s actions after Arsenal drawread more: Mikel Arteta furious that Arsenal’s VAR penalty decision was ‘against the rules’
Arteta has declared the decision to deny a penalty for a foul on Eberechi Eze unacceptable. Evaluating the match, he said: “We did what we wanted to do and took the penalty. That’s something we knew we had to go through.”
“It’s not a penalty (White’s hand) in the Premier League, but I have to accept it given what they’ve done consistently.
“What I am incredibly upset about is that the penalty against Ebbs was rescinded, which is unfortunately unacceptable at this level.
Arsenal’s Ebelesi Eze is fouled by David Hanko but the penalty is canceled (Image: Getty Images)
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“We’ve been fighting hard for nine months to get into this position. That can’t happen. We’ve put a lot of effort into it.”
There was also dissatisfaction with Simeone’s influence on the game, and the conflict with Whyte was unlikely to help Steve McManaman’s assessment of Simeone. Speaking after the match, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid star said:
“His behavior, his number two and number three towards the officials was terrible. It was really terrible. He would change his mind and his performance was terrible. That’s why people don’t like the dark arts (or) Atletico Madrid.”
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