A Liverpool supporter involved in a heated confrontation with Atletico Madrid’s manager Diego Simeone has shared his side of the story.
During Wednesday’s Champions League match between Liverpool and Atletico, an angry Simeone was restrained by stewards after he was seen shouting and gesturing at a fan following Virgil van Dijk’s 92nd-minute winning goal. This came after Atletico’s Marcos Llorente had fought back from two goals down with a second-half brace.
After the match, Simeone said he had been “insulted for 90 minutes” by the crowd. “People always talk about care and respect, but they insult you non-stop,” he said. “As the coach, I can’t respond, but after that much abuse, it’s hard to stay calm.”
Now, Jonny Poulter, the Liverpool fan at the centre of the incident, has spoken out in a short video. He accuses a member of Atletico’s coaching staff of spitting at him. Poulter said, “I want to clear this up — Simeone’s being a bit of a coward.” He denied any racist comments or references to the Falklands War, which Simeone was asked about in the post-match press conference but did not answer, leaving room for speculation.
Poulter explained that he only told Simeone to “f*** off” after the team scored, which is typical banter. He said Simeone and his assistant were provoking fans after Atletico’s equaliser, and that the assistant spat at him.
In his post-match media remarks, Simeone acknowledged the insults but said managers shouldn’t react. He didn’t confirm if the insults were racist but admitted the verbal abuse made him angry. “I’m human,” he said, adding he won’t detail the insults and can’t fix broader societal issues in a press conference.
Earlier, Poulter shared a clip of the clash online, jokingly asking if he “gets the assist” and mocked Simeone with a social media post featuring a GIF of David Brent from The Office saying, “Ooh, you’re hard.”
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