It’s Thibaut Courtois’ fault — at least, that’s the view at Atlético Madrid, where fingers are pointing at their former goalkeeper, now at Real Madrid, accusing him of causing the incidents that led to the suspension of the Madrid derby.According to the Colchoneros, the problems in the city derby began when the Belgian expressed his emotions after Éder Militão’s goal, triggering a reaction from the south stand of the Metropolitano Stadium, where Atlético’s ultras are seated.Lighters and other hard objects were thrown, and Courtois, with his gestures toward that section, is believed to have stoked the flames, escalating the situation.The match suspension lasted 15 minutes — a break unlike any seen before.“To prevent something like this from happening again, we all need to help, including the people who throw lighters onto the pitch, like what happened at the Santiago Bernabéu when Courtois played for us and was hit in the head. That’s not right. But maybe we, as players, don’t help when we underestimate people. We insult them, provoke them, and then those people get angry,” said Diego Simeone, recalling the 2013 incident when Courtois, on the opposite side, was struck in the head by Real fans.Courtois es muy de recibir mecherazos, ya le pasó en el Bernabéu en el 2013https://t.co/oTsBJSk5CP— D. Eduardo de Atleti (@EduardoDeAtleti) September 29, 2024 That’s all in the past, distant past. But to prevent it from happening again — although there are no guarantees — something must be done if possible.“People have no other way to express their dissatisfaction except in a bad way. That’s not good, but we have to make sure we calm things down. It’s fine to celebrate a goal, but you don’t need to celebrate by turning toward the stands and insulting people, gesturing at them. You can look at the grass. You know people get angry. They don’t do it out of nowhere. We, the players, give them a reason. Of course, I don’t justify our fans’ behavior, but I don’t justify the initial actions of the players either, which led to this. However, we are always the victims,” emphasized Cholo.Correa strikes late for a draw as the Madrid derby descends into chaosCameras caught the Argentine approaching the stands during the break, asking fans to calm down.“We need to try to identify who these people are, so they don’t come back to the stadium. We don’t need them; we need people who will support the team,” said Atlético’s coach.The Rojiblancos once again showed their ability to survive, scoring another late goal. Yet, less is being said about the football, and more about the incident.“Players need to be smarter. The tension was huge. Something like this should never happen again. As professionals, we need to be wise. We can’t allow our entire fanbase to suffer because of a few individuals,” Atletico captain Koke said, seemingly also placing responsibility on Real Madrid’s goalkeeper.##NAJAVA_MECA_8370910##
