It was a good plan. It was a funny plan. But La Liga were not amused, and so Diego Simeone will miss the last three games of Atlético Madrid’s title challenge, after he was today banned for his part in an incident that saw an extra ball thrown onto the pitch.
Diego Simeone banned over extra ball incident, will miss Atlético Madrid’s run-in
Football is a game for one ball and one ball only, and Diego Simeone has paid the price for ignoring this basic rule.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
Anything goes at Atleti. Malaga break quickly, so the home bench throws a ball on the pitch to put attackers off. pic.twitter.com/lldc9mgQoy
— Christian Machowski (@Christian_ESEM) April 23, 2016
After the game, Simeone explained that he had not personally thrown the ball but accepted that the referee had no choice but to send him off. La Liga’s regulations state that managers are generally responsible for what happens around their penalty area.
Atlético are level on points with Barcelona at the top of the table but are in second place, thanks to Barcelona's superior head-to-head record. Their last three matches are a home fixture against Rayo Vallecano next weekend, then a trip to Levante and finally a home game against Celta Vigo. If they take more points over those games than Barcelona then they'll win the title, but they'll have to do so without their manager.
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