Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone charged over Juventus gesture
Monday 25 February 2019 17:58, UK
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has been charged with improper conduct following an obscene gesture during his side's Champions League win over Juventus.
Following Atletico defender Jose Gimenez's opening goal in the 2-0 win last Wednesday, the Argentine turned to his team's fans and grabbed his crotch.
Speaking after the game, Simeone insisted the action was to demonstrate his side showed "balls" for the way they saw off the Serie A leaders during the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italy, Simeone explained, "It means we have balls, a lot of balls. To start (Diego) Costa and Koke after they hadn't played for a month takes balls."
"I did it as a player at Lazio and Bologna and I did it again to show our fans that we have 'cojones'.
"It wasn't aimed at the other team, I was turning towards our own supporters. It's not a nice gesture, I'll admit, but I felt the need to do it."
However, UEFA have taken a dim view of the incident and their disciplinary panel will judge the case at a later date.
Simeone could face the possibility of a touchline ban with the second leg of the encounter set to be played in Turin on Tuesday, March 12.
Meanwhile Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri also faces an improper conduct charge for his team being late on the field for kick-off.
