“He didn’t insult anyone” - Real Madrid legend defends Thibaut Courtois despite claim from Diego Simeone after fan outrage in derby
Real Madrid icon Roberto Carlos has defended Thibaut Courtois after Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone accused him of provoking fans during their La Liga encounter on Sunday (September 29).
Eder Miliato opened the scoring for Los Blancos in the 64th minute of the Madrid derby, a deflected strike that found its way into the back of the net. Shortly after the goal, the match was suspended as Atleti fans threw various objects, including lighters, at Courtois.
Speaking about the incident after the game, Simeone claimed the Real Madrid shot-stopper should not have taunted the fans during his celebrations. He said:
“You can celebrate the goal, but not by taunting the fans or making gestures. It’s not justified, but neither is what started it.”
“The club must not allow these things to happen. The club should decide if they come to the stadium, it’s not good for us. The one who throws, doesn’t come again and also sanction those who look to the fans.”
At a public appearance on Monday, Roberto Carlos was asked whether he felt Courtois was responsible for the incident. The former Real Madrid left-back insisted that the Belgian shot-stopper did not incite rival fans with any gestures. He said (via Madrid Universal):
“Everyone knows when they are wrong. I think they are a bit wrong because Courtois didn’t return the lighters to the stands either. He didn’t make any gestures or insult anyone.”
A while after the incident, the match resumed and ended in a 1-1 draw, with Angel Correa finding a late stoppage-time equalizer for Atletico.
"The image is brutal" - Roberto Carlos reacts to masked men hurling objects in Real Madrid's draw against Atletico
Roberto Carlos was shocked that fans wore masks and concealed themselves while hurling objects and screaming abuse at players in Real Madrid's draw against Atletico.
In the build-up to the derby, a social media campaign was launched encouraging Atleti fans to don masks and conceal their identity to help them escape the authorities. The campaign's objective was to aim racist abuse at Vinicius Junior (via ESPN).
During the game, the fact that fans actually turned up with masks and hoodies and threw objects at Courtois left Carlos in disbelief. The Brazilian said (via the aforementioned outlet's report):
“Yesterday was very sad. I have a lot of affection for the Atlético fans but what happened yesterday is not normal. The image is brutal. I think I’ve seen it in Mexico. To see an image of the hooded men makes an impression on me. They were already prepared for something, it was very strange.”