The heated exchange between Diego Simeone, coach of Atlético de Madrid, and members of Real Madrid, including Carlo Ancelotti and Dani Ceballos, continued on Monday as Simeone addressed their recent remarks. The tension stems from Simeone’s earlier comments about "episodes" favoring Real Madrid, to which Ancelotti and Ceballos responded over the weekend.

During his press conference, Simeone referenced Ancelotti's reaction during his time as Bayern Munich’s coach following a controversial Champions League tie against Real Madrid:

"If we go back in memory to the Bayern Munich match, the 'mister's' comments reflected what had happened on the pitch. It’s clear those weren’t for the gallery."

The Argentine also took aim at Ceballos, highlighting the midfielder's contrasting opinions when he played for Real Betis:

"It’s the same. It’s normal; they’re at the club they’re at now. But when they were at a different club, they thought differently," said Simeone.

"I Didn’t Focus on Anything"

Simeone defended his initial remarks, emphasizing that they were not explicitly targeted at Real Madrid. Instead, he accused the media of amplifying the controversy:

"You’re the ones who focus on it. One comment from one side, another from the other, and you add more pages to it."

Last Friday, when asked about controversial moments in Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey clash with Celta Vigo, Simeone said:

"I was told about episodes in the match, but these things have been happening for a hundred years. I don’t see why it’s surprising."

Responses from Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti responded directly to Simeone during his press conference:

"These are things people sometimes say for the gallery. Everyone in football knows Real Madrid's presence now and its history over the past 125 years. I suppose these are thorns that still hurt."

Dani Ceballos added fuel to the fire with his post-match comments following Real Madrid's victory over Las Palmas:

"Cholo still hasn’t gotten over the two finals he lost to Real Madrid. They have their opinions, but we need to keep working and stick to our path, which is to keep winning."