Last night’s derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal has sparked major controversy.
During the match, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone was seen taunting Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. from the sidelines.
The Argentine manager was constantly commenting on the attacker being booed by the fans at the Bernabeu, bringing up his future and suggesting how Florentino Perez would axe him in the summer.
Simeone’s antics have not gone down well in the Real Madrid camp, who believe that the Atletico boss crossed a line this time, while Vinicius and Xabi Alonso did not hold back in their response either.
Atletico Madrid defend Simeone
Now, Atletico Madrid have broken their silence on the whole controversy, expressing their opinion on the matter through a post on ‘X’, criticising the absence of footage showing the origin of the confrontation.
Es curioso cuánto tiempo dedican algunos a analizar una reacción… y qué poco a aclarar la provocación que la origina.
El 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖, sí que es un clásico.
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) January 9, 2026
“It’s curious how much time some people dedicate to analyzing a reaction… and how little to clarifying the provocation that caused it. The modus operandi, however, is a classic,” the tweet from Los Rojiblancos read.
The message from Atletico seemingly reinforces some reports alleging that a remark directed at Simeone from Vinicius about a penalty not being awarded was what triggered the Argentine’s reaction.
There is no shortage of bad blood between the two clubs, given their rivalry, and this only adds further fuel to the situation.
It remains to be seen if there are any formal actions taken by either team, although it seems unlikely at this stage, given that La Liga president Javier Tebas himself chose to downplay the entire incident as ‘an anecdote’.