The Spanish league found itself at the center of controversy this week following a war of words between Diego Simeone, Carlo Ancelotti, and Dani Ceballos over referee decisions allegedly favoring Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid’s head coach delivered a sharp response, accusing both Ancelotti and Ceballos of hypocrisy for holding different views when they were not associated with Los Blancos.

The debate began after Simeone criticized the officiating during Real Madrid’s 5-2 Copa del Rey win against Celta Vigo, where the visitors were denied two controversial penalties. Simeone remarked, “These types of incidents have been happening for a hundred years.” Ancelotti swiftly dismissed the comment, claiming, “These are things that are sometimes said to play to the gallery,” and suggesting that “these could be thorns that still sting.”

Real Madrid player Dani Ceballos joined the controversy between the two coaches, echoing Ancelotti’s idea of certain resentment toward the club “He hasn’t gotten over the two finals he lost against Real Madrid,” the Spanish midfielder stated.

When asked about the comments during a press conference ahead of Atletico’s clash with Bayer Leverkusen, Simeone delivered a composed yet pointed rebuttal: “I never comment on what my colleagues say. I refer to memory. When you go back and remember that match against Bayern, those statements (from Ancelotti) were a result of what happened on the field, not meant for show. And the same goes for Ceballos: he made the same statement when he was at Betis.

“They’re doing very well, they’re a great team… but when they were with another team, they thought differently…, ” the coach stated, drawing the hypocrisy when both player and coach were on the other side of the table.

What did Ancelotti and Ceballos say?

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone specifically referenced two incidents in 2017 when both Ancelotti and Ceballos, while with different teams, publicly criticized referee decisions favoring Real Madrid.

Ancelotti’s frustration with refereeing in the Champions League

In 2017, Carlo Ancelotti, then manager of Bayern Munich, faced Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. Bayern were controversially eliminated after a Cristiano Ronaldo goal in extra time that was scored from an offside position. Adding to the controversy, Madrid’s Casemiro avoided a red card despite multiple fouls.

Ancelotti expressed his discontent in an interview with Corriere della Sera: “It was an injustice. It will go down in history as Madrid eliminating Bayern, and that’s it. But what happened in Madrid was seen by everyone; it wasn’t normal. VAR needs to be implemented because it’s necessary.”

Ceballos’ outburst at Real Madrid during his Betis days

Similarly, Dani Ceballos, while playing for Real Betis, had strong words after a 2-1 loss at the Santiago Bernabeu in March 2017. In that match, Betis defender Cristiano Piccini was controversially sent off in the 78th minute, allowing Sergio Ramos to score a late winner.

Speaking to Onda Cero, Ceballos expressed his frustration. “I’m quite upset with this match; everyone saw the refereeing,” said the Betis player. “On Wednesday and today, we leave feeling wronged by the referee. Betis deserves the same treatment as other clubs in Spain. When the mistakes always go in the same direction, it gets tiring,” Ceballos ended his discharge.