MAdrid: Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is adamant he did not throw the ball that saw him sent to the stands during his side’s 1-0 victory over Malaga, but insists the referee was right to dismiss him from the touchline.

The incident occurred when an extra ball was thrown on to the pitch, seemingly from the Atletico bench, impeding the momentum of the advancing Ricardo Horta. Simeone was sent to the stands after a discussion with referee Antonio Mateu. While the Argentine was blamed for throwing the ball, he suggested it came from elsewhere in the Atletico technical area. However, he was still content to accept the punishment on behalf of his team.