Ancelotti's dry response to Simeone on refereeing

On the eve of Las Palmas' reception on Sunday in La Liga, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was questioned about the insinuations from his Argentine counterpart at Atlético Diego Simeone, according to which Real Madrid and Barça would be advantaged by the arbitral decisions.

In Madrid, the date of February 9, 2025 has been marked for a long time. In three weeks, Real will host Atlético for a Madrid derby which promises to be hot at the Bernabeu. We already wish good luck to the referee who will officiate at this summit of the Spanish championship. Because the pressure on his shoulders will be immense. In addition to the sporting issue (the two clubs are in the fight for the title), we will also monitor the attitude of two coaches, who are not at all on the same wavelength when it comes to the treatment of officials.

It was Diego Simeone who launched the controversy, or rather surfed on it, Friday after an 8th final of the Copa del Rey between Real and Celta marked by a penalty not whistled in favor of the Vigo players on the action preceding the goal from Kylian Mbappé.

“These are things that are said to provoke a reaction”

Asked about the possibility that the European champions but also Barça could be favored by the refereeing, “El Cholo” replied: “I did not see the match yesterday (Thursday). told the episodes that took place during the match, but it's the same thing for 100 years… So I don't know what surprises you.”

Diego Simeone visibly convinced that his rivals are favored by the referees, Carlo Ancelotti could not remain without saying anything. On Saturday, the Italian coach responded to him on the eve of the La Liga match against Las Palmas at the Bernabeu: “These are things that are said to provoke a reaction. Everyone in football knows what Real Madrid has represented for 125 years “I imagine that these are things that can hurt,” said the former PSG coach.