Diego Simeone pushes ex-Atletico Madrid chief Andrea Berta as staff forced to separate pair before Arsenal celebrate progress to Champions League final

In a moment of pure madness during the closing stages of Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their semi-final tie, a fuming Simeone shoved former Atletico chief Berta. The confrontation took place as the north London side booked their spot in the final of Europe's premier competition for the first time in 20 years, courtesy of a Bukayo Saka strike that secured a 2-1 aggregate victory.

As the clock ticked down, Simeone approached Berta, who had moved toward the pitch side area. The Atletico boss appeared to be imploring the referee to blow the whistle for full-time. However, when Berta walked from the tunnel area towards the field after the ball went out of play, Simeone reacted aggressively by shoving the Italian, who he worked with for years at Atletico, forcing the fourth official and various club representatives to step in and separate the two men before the situation escalated further.

The fiery nature of Simeone is nothing new to football fans, dating back to his infamous clash with David Beckham at the 1998 World Cup. His managerial career has been defined by pushing boundaries, and his behaviour throughout both legs of this semi-final drew heavy fire from pundits. Tensions were particularly high following a controversial VAR decision in the first leg, and the second leg at the Emirates provided more fuel for the fire.

TNT Sports pundit Steve McManaman did not hold back in his assessment of the Argentine's conduct in the first leg. He said: "I look at the behaviour of Diego Simeone and his assistants when the referee was trying to come over to the monitor - it was atrocious. The constant haranguing of the fourth official. Once he gives it and there's contact, it's not a clear and obvious error, he shouldn't go back to re-ref it again. It baffles me but I thought he had an awful game. If that happened in the opposite box, Simeone would be going apoplectic for a penalty, and his behaviour is awful, honestly it's awful."

Simeone was also raging about an incident involving Antoine Griezmann in the second leg on Tuesday night, as Atletico saw calls for a foul from Riccardo Calafiori waved away, though he refused to use it as an excuse for his team's eventual defeat.

"I won't focus on something simple like the Griezmann incident," Simeone said in his post-match press conference. "It's obvious, it was a foul. The referee said there was a foul by Marc [Pubill] on one of their players. I won't focus on that. It would be an excuse, and I don't want to make excuses."

The clash between Simeone and Berta carried extra weight given their long history together in Spain. Berta served as a key figure at Atletico Madrid between 2013 and 2025, working closely with Simeone for over a decade before his eventual move to Arsenal. Despite the physical altercation on Tuesday night, Simeone had previously spoken highly of the Italian professional.

Reflecting on their time together in January last year, Simeone said: "I can't give a judgement on what the club decides. I'm grateful for the work Andrea has done with us, we had a very healthy relationship, without agreeing on some things as happens, but looking for the best for Atletico. He gave everything he could to Atletico, I thank him for this time and I wish him the best."

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