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Atletico coach the Argentine has now expressed apology about the altercation with Liverpool supporters—but stated the incident was triggered due to persistent taunts by those local fans

After Liverpool leader Virgil van Dijk heading in an late decisive goal to seal a thrilling win, the manager reacted after Simeone appeared to be provoked from a small group of home followers

Atletico’s South American coach subsequently complained toward a referee’s assistant with ground staff intervening separating the manager and those home fans

He had to be escorted back and kept up the arguments before he eventually shown a red card then walked into the tunnel

Addressing the media following that game, the Atletico boss commented: “To begin with, I apologize for the part I played. It's clear coaches are in a position in which we do not have any excuse to retaliate and it’s unacceptable when it happens”

But, the manager also voice his unhappiness over what he described as “insults during all 90 minutes” by the local crowd

He added: “Coaches are in a position where we serve as public faces, therefore just as how campaign to eliminate racism and insults at venues, we must also advocate in support of coaches, regarding abuse that come our way during the whole game”

“It’s difficult to work in the dugout we’re placed while hearing abuse for all 90 minutes. I witnessed the situation from far away after Van Dijk’s header. I turned, the jeering continued, and honestly, I’m human”

After asked about the exact the nature of the taunts had been, Simeone answered: “Honestly I must say I don’t remember precisely. I prefer not dwell on that aspect”

“The thing I believe is that I must uphold my position. I must learn to understand how to tolerate everything unfolds in front of the dugout, and acknowledge I don’t have the power to solve society”

“What I did is not acceptable though have you experienced what it is like to be insulted during 90 minutes? I would urge Liverpool will tackle this issue so that when they catch the culprits responsible, they face consequences”

The incident came in the finale following a action-packed match where the Reds netted two times within the first initial phase, through Robertson and Mohamed Salah, after which the visitors fought back

Marcos Llorente scored two goals for the Madrid outfit to draw the tie, but current Premier League champions who are also current leaders fought back to snatch the winning final goal via Van Dijk’s powerful header