Liverpool FC versus Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone wants to refuse Jürgen Klopp a handshake again
Diego Simeone makes no secret of his attitude towards “falsehood” in handshakes after the game
© Javier Soriano / AFP
Diego Simeone from Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone, does not want to exchange a handshake with Jürgen Klopp even after today’s game against Liverpool. He doesn’t believe in pretending.
Diego Simeone also wants to refuse to shake hands with Jürgen Klopp in the Champions League second leg between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool (from 9 p.m. in the stern live ticker).
“I don’t like shaking hands after the game because emotions from two sides that are in different emotional worlds collide,” said Simeone in the run-up to the game.
Simeone versus handshake: “I don’t like to pretend”
He himself does not interpret the gesture as a sign of mutual respect. “I know it’s a tradition in England, but I don’t share it and I don’t like the falsehood it may contain. I don’t like pretending,” said Simeone.
Reds coach Jürgen Klopp took the announcement calmly. “If I had known that he didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have approached him at all,” said Klopp. “I expect we’ll shake hands before the game.” For the Liverpool team manager this is “not a problem”.
No handshakes in the first leg
In the first leg, Simeone had already waived the mandatory handshake after the game. “I never shake hands after the game, I don’t like it. It’s just not healthy – for the winner and the loser,” said the Atletico head coach at the time.
Especially for the Madrilenians, the second leg against the PL club is trend-setting. In the event of a defeat, there is a risk of premature exit in the CL group stage. Liverpool, on the other hand, are first in Group B with three wins after three games. In the first leg two weeks ago, the Reds won the duel 3-2.