Ahead of Atlético de Madrid’s clash against Barcelona, club president Enrique Cerezo did not hold back when addressing the media, and rather humiliated himself in the process.
Cerezo criticized Courtois’ recent comments in the mixed zone following the Champions League Euroderby, where the Belgian goalkeeper dismissed claims of refereeing bias. “What he (Courtois) needs to do is shut up,” Cerezo said. “He should be grateful for having been at Atlético de Madrid. He needs to do what he did with us: be a gentleman and a lord.”
Courtois had spoken candidly after Real Madrid’s victory over Atlético in the Champions League quarterfinals. In response to accusations of officiating favoritism toward Real Madrid, he said: “I’m fed up with always playing the victim, always crying about things like this. Referees don’t want to benefit a team, neither in Spain nor in Europe; they saw it clearly and they whistled it like that. They’re human, and with technology, they saw it clearly. If you’re winning 1-0 in the first minute and you don’t go for the second, that’s the fault of their game.”
Atlético to Take Legal Action Over VAR Controversy
Beyond the war of words, Atlético de Madrid is preparing to take legal action over what they perceive as unjust refereeing decisions. A focal point of their frustration is Julián Álvarez’s disallowed penalty against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Speaking to Telemundo Deportes, Atlético officials confirmed that the club intends to pursue appropriate legal measures. Cerezo expressed his dissatisfaction with VAR, stating, “We all believe that VAR was brought in to make football fairer, but I think it was brought in to make it more unfair.”
The Cerezo quotes from Atletico's lunch today are absolutely wild
"I have images in which Julián Álvarez doesn't even touch the ball"
"What Courtois needs to do is shut up. He should be grateful for having been at Atlético de Madrid. He needs to do what he did with us: be a…
— Managing Madrid (@managingmadrid) March 16, 2025
Furthermore, after the traditional pre-match board luncheon, Cerezo claimed to have seen footage proving that Álvarez did not even touch the ball in the controversial incident. “We have images that show Julián Álvarez doesn’t even touch the ball,” he revealed.