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CHOLO, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE

Break out the tiny violins! An individual has been shouting at Diego Simeone! Well-known for being easily provoked and a bastion of all that is fair and untarnished in this world, the Atlético Madrid manager was shown a red card on the night of the match at Liverpool's stadium after reacting to a fan’s jibes from behind the bench area, following the Reds' most recent late winner in their continental tie.

It is important to clarify that we cannot support shouting in the workplace – even despite recent employment rulings – and that the ejection given to him does seem a unnecessarily strict considering the manager seemingly did not to do much wrong other than move toward the Liverpool fan who was shouting abuse in his general direction. No one knows for certain about exactly what was said – and analysts did point out afterwards that Simeone “isn't fluent in English, so he’s done well to understand the local dialect” – but the idea of the former midfielder being offended by a bit of strong language does seem a touch ironic, akin to a pantomime villain being upset at “all the booing”, or a famous host complaining that participants had been talking behind her back.

“As managers where we are not allowed to reply or react and it is never good when we retaliate as managers,” stated the notoriously intense Simeone, who previously celebrated controversially after an Atléti goal against Juventus in 2020. “When we are getting insulted all the game, when they scored the third goal, he turned round and targeted me verbally. I am a individual, I am human. I am not going to get into the exact nature of the insults. I don’t want to get involved in that debate. I have got to stay in my role. I know what went on behind the manager’s bench. I can’t solve society’s problems in one media session. I have to live with it.”

The manager is also going to have to accept a single-game suspension, which means he is set to miss Atlético’s next continental match, against Eintracht Frankfurt, but able to coach again for another UK fixture, to Arsenal on 21 October. Luckily stadium characters aren’t much of conversationalists, or we might have more drama on our hands.

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MEMORABLE LINE

13 September: “No long wait, it won’t be weeks … it will be Wednesday” – new Nottingham Forest boss the former Celtic manager anticipates a quick improvement in the wake of an disappointing start at Arsenal.

17 September: “I sensed the players thought it was going to happen by itself. We should have been better ready for what was going to come and managed it a lot better” – Improvement wasn't immediate as Forest ship a late brace in added time, squandering a two-goal advantage at Swansea and being eliminated from the domestic trophy.

READER COMMENTS

Although appreciating one reader’s endorsement of the larger European competition, he evoked a renowned writer as support for his case. It's widely accepted that the philosopher credited all his insights to football, but whereas the world might seem absurd, his devotion to his side was so deep that when he went to Paris he went to watch a French side, because they wore the identical colors as his favorite team, so he could feel to still be watching his childhood heroes.

Might one consider that we might be looking at the bigger picture? A particular team may be minnows in international tournaments, but they’ve won almost all recent domestic league titles because of the revenue they generate in continental football. I wonder how many fans find it enjoyable watching other sides compete in their domestic competition? Contrary to the earlier argument, I believe clubs having a chance of actually winning would increase supporter interest and make the whole sport more attractive. Maybe a more effective solution than just expanding the field into European competitions is to actually have a reduced number competing in them, but have football authorities distribute more revenue across those smaller associations so teams are better able to rival?

How enjoyable to read a reference to a renowned writer on a day when I myself had spent a little while reading part of an anthology of the writer's works. Those who may have found the poet’s sometimes earthy vocabulary a little unrefined for their tastes might have enjoyed attempts to sanitize literature that included playful rewrites of classic lines.