Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has apologized to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and club star Vinicius Junior for what happened during the 2026 Spanish Super Cup semi-final match between the two Madrid rivals in Saudi Arabia.
Simeone provoked Vinicius during the match at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium (The Shining Jewel), telling him, “Listen to the boos; Perez will soon get you kicked out.”
After the match, the Argentine coach downplayed the incident, saying it was just a minor altercation that often occurs during matches, and jokingly told the press that he didn’t remember what he said. However, the intense criticism from Real Madrid in various Spanish newspapers forced Simeone to change his stance.
Simeone said in the press conference before the Copa del Rey round of 16 match against Deportivo La Coruña, “I would like to apologize to Mr. Florentino Perez and Vinicius Junior for what they witnessed.”
He added, “I admit my behavior wasn’t good and that I wasn’t wise to put myself in that situation. Real Madrid deserved to win and qualify, and we were close to a draw.”
When asked about overreacting, the Argentinian said, “I’m offering my apology, not asking for forgiveness. I have nothing more to add.”
Real Madrid ultimately lost the Spanish Super Cup title after a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona. Simeone commented, “Barcelona is a very good team that plays a very distinctive style of football and deserved to win the title.”
