Simeone apologises to Vinicius, Florentino Perez over Super Cup semifinal antics: ‘I accept it was wrong’ | OneFootball

Speaking to the media ahead of their Copa del Rey clash against Deportivo la Coruna, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has issued a public apology to Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. and president Florentino Perez.

This comes after the controversy from the Spanish Super Cup semifinal clash between the two capital clubs, during which Simeone was spotted verbally taunting Vinicius from the sidelines on several occasions.

The Argentine tactician kept commenting about the Brazilian forward being whistled and booed by fans at the Santiago Bernabeu in recent games, while also going on to suggest that Perez would axe him at the end of the season.

“Florentino is going to fire you, remember what I’m telling you,” he said to the forward. 

Vinicius reacting to Simeone’s comments during Super Cup semifinal. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

It sparked an angry reaction not only from the player but also Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, while the club also felt that the Atletico Madrid boss had crossed a line with his antics.

Having had a few days to think about it, Simeone has now come out and issued an apology for the way he acted, saying:

“I would like to apologise to Mr Florentino and Mr Vinicius for the incident they witnessed. It was wrong of me to put myself in that position and I accept that it was wrong.”

At the same time, though, he made it clear that he was only apologising but not asking for forgiveness, stating:

“I apologise, but I do not ask for forgiveness. I have nothing more to add.”

Source: AS