Atletico's Simeone receives 4-match touchline ban
Madrid, May 5: Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has been banned from the touchline for the next three European matches after being sent to the stands during the first leg of his club's Europa League semi-final against Arsenal.
French referee Clement Turpin sent Simeone to the stands in the 13th minute of the contest at the Emirates Stadium in London after the coach became abusive while protesting the sending off of Atletico defender Sime Vrsaljko two minutes earlier, reports EFE news agency.
The first leg ended 1-1.
As a consequence of the incident in London, Simeone spent Thursday night's second leg watching from the stands at Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano, where his side prevailed 1-0 to win a berth in the final.
The ban, which was handed out by European football's governing body UEFA on Friday, means that he will likewise be confined to the stands when Atletico face Olympique Marseille in the Europa League final on May 16 in Lyon.
Should Atletico win the Europa League, the sanction will extend to the August 15 UEFA Super Cup and to the Spanish club's first 2018-2019 Champions League group stage match in September.
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
