Diego Simeone Sent to Stands vs. Malaga: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone was sent to the stands during the 1-0 win over Malaga on Saturday after someone on the Rojiblancos bench threw a second ball on the pitch in an attempt to stop a counter-attack.
According to Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC, Simeone was spotted talking to the official during half-time, and as it wasn't clear who actually threw the ball, the head coach was punished, per La Liga regulations. While it first appeared as if Simeone himself threw the ball, AS English later confirmed he didn't.
Per Sky Sports' Guillem Balague, he could be banned for three matches or more even if he wasn't responsible.
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You can watch footage of the incident on Twitter or on La Liga's official YouTube channel by clicking here. The footage shows Simeone certainly didn't throw the ball, but it did seem to come from the Atletico bench.
Per La Liga writer Sid Lowe, Simeone later claimed a ball boy was responsible:
Because head coaches are responsible for the actions of their entire bench in La Liga, per Corrigan, Simeone will almost certainly be banned for a number of matches, which could be disastrous for Atletico. The Rojiblancos are locked in a close title battle with Barcelona and Real Madrid, and they can't afford to lose their manager at this point in time.
Per the Associated Press (via the Guardian), Simeone has been banned for controversial behaviour on the sidelines before. Back in 2014, he received an eight-match suspension for a physical altercation with a linesman.
