Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has responded angrily to Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, telling the Belgian to “shut up.”
Cerezo’s comments came after Courtois criticized Atletico Madrid’s reaction to a controversial VAR decision during last week’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash between the Spanish rivals. Real Madrid advanced after a penalty shootout, with the aggregate score tied at 2-2 across two legs.
The most heated moment of the match came during the shootout when Julian Alvarez’s penalty was canceled. The Argentine was judged to have slightly touched the ball with one foot before scoring with the other, a decision that sparked outrage among Atletico’s players and staff.
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Courtois dismissed Atletico’s protests, saying, “I’m tired of the eternal sacrificial mentality where they always have to cry over such things.”
Not pleased with the goalkeeper’s remarks, Cerezo fired back, stating, “Courtois has to shut up. He should be grateful to have been with Atletico Madrid. He must do as he did with us – be a gentleman.”
Courtois had spent three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid from Chelsea.
Regarding the incident, Cerezo added, “I don’t like VAR, but I’ve always said that. I’m not criticizing VAR for the other day’s error. Because it’s not the referee’s error, it’s the VAR’s error.”
He continued, “I don’t know where they saw that the ball touched a player’s leg twice. VAR is a conflicting tool, it’s unsafe, and above all, we all believe it was introduced to make football fairer, but I believe it’s been introduced to make it more unfair.”
