Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone said he regretted his clash with Liverpool fans at the end of their dramatic Champions League clash at Anfield, but revealed it was sparked by "insults" he had received throughout the game.
Virgil van Dijk's late winner for Liverpool, after Atletico had fought back from two goals down to level the game, sparked a fracas on the touchline which resulted in Simeone getting into an argument with fans behind his dugout.
Stewards had to intervene in the flashpoint before Simeone was sent off by referee Maurizio Mariani.
'They were shouting insults through whole game'
Simeone said: "When they scored the third goal he turned around and insulted me. I'm a person, I'm human."
When asked further about the insults, Simeone added: "They were shouting insults through the whole game from behind the bench and I cannot say anything as I am a coach.
"Obviously my reaction is not justifiable, I insulted him. But it was 90 minutes of being insulted the whole time then you turn around, when your opponent has scored, and they are still insulting you. It is not that easy.
"I am not really going to get into the exact nature of the insults. I don't want to get into that discussion. I know what went on behind the manager's bench. I cannot solve society's problems in one press conference. I have to live with it because it happens all the time."
UEFA will await the referee's report before deciding on any possible sanctions following Simeone's red card, but the Atletico boss said he hoped Liverpool would take action.
"I hope that a team like Liverpool can improve that part," he added.
"When they identify the person who did this, it should have its consequences.
"But the person who needs to stay calm, and take the insults, is me. In my place you just have to take it."
The incident came after Marcos Llorente had continued his remarkable record at Anfield, scoring another two to add to the double he scored in their only win here in 2020 as Atletico fought back from 2-0 down to level the game.
However, Van Dijk's goal sealed Liverpool's win and sparked the fracas on the touchline in which Simeone saw red.
How did the Spanish papers react?
It probably says something about the frequency with which Simeone becomes embroiled in touchline controversy that the Madrid-based newspapers only make small references to the latest incident on their Thursday front pages.
Instead, they describe the pain of Atletico's late defeat. The front page of Marca carries the headline 'Muere en la orilla', a Spanish expression which roughly translates as tripping up at the finish line.
They use the word "cruel" to describe the loss and the same word appears on the front page of AS, which references a "cruel ending" after Atletico fought back from two goals down.
Beyond the front page, Marca's editorial references the "proximity of the dugout to the stands" at English grounds with regards to Simeone's red card, claiming the fan who clashed with the Atletico boss provoked him by making explicit gestures at him "on countless occasions".
The newspaper also mentions a previous run-in between Simeone and English fans, when he left the Old Trafford pitch in 2022 "amid a hail of bottles" after Atletico knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League.
