Diego Simeone took the diplomatic route when asked about the referee for Barcelona’s Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, Felix Brych.
Brych sent off Fernando Torres for two first half yellow cards with Atleti leading at Camp Nou, Torres the scorer, Luis Suarez netting twice to give Barca the win.
“I’ve nothing to say [about Robert Fernandez’s comments on the referee],” AS quotes Cholo telling reporters in a flash post-match interview.
“I’m happy for the team that I have. We had a fantastic first half for 30 minutes.
“Beyond the inequality that existed in the game, we’ve got a situation where we generated expectations.
“I’m very happy, at a difficult field with an extraordinary opponent. We’ll look for [the Vicente Calderon crowd] in the return and I’m sure the supporters will explode with singing.”
Simeone was later pushed by the Press on Brych but still bit his tongue, only hinting at his true feelings on the official’s performance.
“I’m not angry with Torres, no,” he replied when asked if he was upset with Brych or El Nino.
“I’m not saying everything I want to say, no doubt. I’m thinking about what I say about the referee and the game.
“There were more than two incidents [involving Luis Suarez] but, ok, two. I can’t say what I think. It’s clear that if the referee understood what he understood it’s because he saw it that way.
“We want to do everything possible to be among the four best [the semi-finalists].”
