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Diego Simeone refuses to defend Julian Alvarez over Atletico Madrid supporters’ chants against him

worldsoccertalk.com · 5h · first reportShare

Atletico Madrid fans chanted against Julian Alvarez, and coach Diego Simeone didn't defend the player amid the situation. Atletico Madrid kicked off their 2026-27 LaLiga campaign with a 2-0 win over Malaga, though Julian Alvarez ‘s situation still found its way into the conversation at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium. The Argentine forward, whose future at the club has been thrown into doubt amid persistent links to Barcelona , didn’t feature in the match as he continues working toward full match fitness, and a section of Atletico supporters didn’t hold back their frustration with him, with chants targeting the striker ringing out from the stands. Asked directly about the chants after the match, Diego Simeone chose not to come to his player’s defense. “ I respect our fans very much ,” the Argentine coach responded shortly during the press conference, declining to elaborate further or address Alvarez’s situation at the club. The brief, pointed response did little to calm the situat