Players provoking fans should be sanctioned: Simeone after Madrid derby fiasco

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has claimed that players who provoke fans should also be sanctioned after the unrest in the Wanda Metropolitano during the Madrid derby on Sunday, September 29.

In Short

• The Madrid derby was halted as fans started to throw stuff on the ground
• Simeone called for stricter measures to prevent such disruptions
• The Madrid derby ended 1-1 on Sunday

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone condemned the actions of fans who threw objects onto the pitch during their heated derby against Real Madrid on Sunday, causing the match to be suspended for over 20 minutes. Simeone stressed that those responsible should face punishment, and hinted that players who may have incited such behaviour should also be held accountable.

The incident occurred in the 64th minute, shortly after Real Madrid's Eder Militao scored the opening goal. As the Real players celebrated, Atletico's ultras, located in the Fondo Sur section of the stadium, began throwing objects toward Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Courtois immediately alerted the referee, who decided to pause the game for safety reasons.

After a lengthy delay, the match resumed, and Atletico managed to salvage a point when ngel Correa scored a dramatic equaliser deep into stoppage time. The tense 1-1 draw left both sides frustrated, with Simeone focusing on the unsportsmanlike behaviour that marred the derby atmosphere. The Atletico boss called for stricter measures to prevent such disruptions in the future, highlighting the need for accountability both on and off the pitch.

"My opinion is that people who have committed incidents should be sanctioned by the club. We don't need these people. We need the people who accompany and support us. They harm the club, but be careful: that does not justify generating situations that we, the protagonists, generate," Simeone told DAZN.

"We all have to help. The people who have thrown those lighters, it's not right. But maybe it doesn't help when us, the protagonists, undermine people, charge against people, provoke people and then people get angry.

"People have no other way of doing it, in a bad way, which is not right, but we also have to try to be calm, to understand the situations, that you can celebrate a goal by celebrating it, but not by celebrating it by staring at the stands, charging against the stands, making gestures... because then people get angry.

"Of course it's not justified, but neither is the initial thing justified because otherwise we'll always be victims. The one who throws the cigarette lighter should be sanctioned and the one who provokes should also be sanctioned. This way there is no more laughter and things like that, as you are not sanctioned, you are allowed to do things."

In the early hours of Monday, Atletico Madrid issued an official statement confirming that they have identified one of the individuals responsible for throwing objects onto the pitch during their derby against Real Madrid. The club is cooperating with local authorities to identify additional offenders involved in the incident. Atletico pledged to take disciplinary action against those responsible.