Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone has insisted he didn’t shake hands with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp as he didn’t want to present a ‘falsehood’.
Liverpool host the Spanish side at Anfield in the Champions League tomorrow in the second of their meetings in Group B.
The two played out their first meeting at the Wanda Metropolitano earlier this month, with Liverpool coming out 3-2 winners in a thrilling encounter.
Simeone was heavily criticised after the game for failing to shake hands with his counterpart Klopp at the final whistle, instead electing to run down the tunnel as soon as the game was over.
It was seen as a lack of class from the Argentine coach, with Klopp appearing bemused by the situation when asked about it after the game.
Simeone later explained that he hadn’t shaken hands with the German coach because it’s not something he likes, and he’s now reiterated that stance ahead of their next meeting.
“I explained it after the game, I reiterate it. I don’t like to shake hands after the game; the emotions are different from the coaches,” Mundo Deportivo report him saying.
“I understand that in England, it is used as a gentlemanly way, but I don’t share it because I don’t like falsehoods.
“I can’t talk about Klopp as a person because I don’t know him, but I can talk about the good work he has always done in the teams he has been in.
“I don’t usually give my opinion on how opposing teams play. There are codes, and we coaches have to respect that.”
