Arsenal came away with a 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid and as expected, Diego Simeone played the role of pantomime villain to a tee.
Simeone has a long history of being more than animated on the touchline and he was at it again tonight.
However, things potentially stepped over the mark when the referee came over to look at the VAR screen after he’d awarded Eberechi Eze a late penalty. Simeone and his coaching team effectively harassed Daniel Makkiele, before he eventually overturned what looked like an obvious penalty.
It was a poor scene and according to Steve McManaman, warrants no place in the game.
You’re the referee: How many penalties actually should have been given during Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal?
Three appeals, two given, what was the right call? Tell us why in the comments.
Diego Simeone told his behaviour was out of order during Arsenal v Atletico
VAR continues to be a talking point in any big game and once again, Arsenal find themselves at the centre of controversy.
As expected, Simeone was chief orchestrator in ramping up the atmosphere but former Real Madrid man Steve McManaman was far from impressed with the Atletico boss.
“I hate VAR, It spoils the game. I thought the behaviour, I have to echo Martin, I thought the behaviour of Diego Simeone and his assistants when the referee was trying to come over to look at the monitor was atrocious,” McManaman said on TNT Sports.
“The constant haranguing of the fourth official. Once he gives it and there’s contact, it’s not a clear and obvious error. He shouldn’t go back and re-ref it again.”
The decision for the penalty to be overturned was a huge talking point and there are differing views across the board.
Referee Mark Clattenburg told Arsenal Insider he believed the call was correct in the end, but the likes of Ian Wright slammed the decision.
Furthermore, Mikel Arteta also lamented the decision as ‘unacceptable’ as claimed it completely changed the course of the tie.
Should Arsenal end up going out over the two legs, then this will be a major discussion point across the entire season.
Once again, VAR is taking centre-stage when in reality, we should be talking about the football.
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