Diego Simeone was at the heart of the controversy as Atletico Madrid and Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg.
The tie in the Spanish capital was a tale of three penalty decisions. First, Viktor Gyokeres converted for the visitors after being bundled to the ground by an opposition player. Then Julian Alvarez levelled the tie from 12 yards after a Ben White handball.
However, Arsenal looked like they were going to be given the chance to win the game from the spot when Eberechi Eze was tripped inside the area by David Hancko.
Despite initially pointing to the spot, the referee eventually went to the VAR monitor and overturned his decision, which prompted Steven Gerrard and Ally McCoist on commentary to speculate Simeone played a part.
Diego Simeone Argues With Arsenal's Ben White
Diego Simeone
As animated as ever on the sidelines, Simeone was constantly firing his team up and letting everyone know what he thought of certain decisions. His presence and fiery nature in such close proximity to the referee during the VAR review played a part in the overturning of the penalty in the eyes of many.
It wasn't just during the game where the long-term Atletico boss wore his heart on his sleeve, either. Fan footage from the Wanda Metropolitano stands showed the Argentine getting into a tussle with Arsenal defender Ben White as they approached the tunnel.
It appears that the highest-paid manager in world football took issue with the England international walking across the Atletico Madrid badge, which is on the floor leading towards the tunnel. Watch the footage below.
He wasn't the first one to get in White's face, but Simeone jumped in when he saw one of his players arguing with the Gunners star. At first, it looks like he was stepping between the two players to squash the issue, but then as they approach the tunnel, it appears to get heated.
White is even shoved backwards, although it's unclear if that was Simeone's doing as staff and players quickly got involved. Whatever Simeone did or said, it definitely didn't appear to diffuse the situation.
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Simeone Called Out For Behaviour vs Arsenal
martin keown
Martin Keown and Steve McManaman, part of TNT Sports' coverage of the game, were less than impressed with Simeone's touchline antics.
The former brought up the 56-year-old when discussing the penalty incident, saying: "Simeone though, his actions to the sideline, the drama he creates, the scenes around it… the referee buckled under the pressure, went to the screen and didn’t stand by his decision."
Those thoughts were echoed by McManamand, who even labelled Simeone's actions 'atrocious'. The ex-Real Madrid man stated:
"I have to echo Martin, I thought the behaviour of Simeone and his assistants, when the referee was trying to come over to the monitor, was atrocious.
"The constant haranguing of the fourth official…"