Picture Credit: Twitter
In the matchday 35 of Laliga Santander, the stage was set for a crucial contest between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona at Camp Nou. Both the sides needed three points to go a step closer to the league title. However, the match ended in a goalless draw with both the sides left slightly disappointed with the result. The 0-0 score-line on Saturday gives an opportunity to Real Madrid to claim the first spot on points table with a win over Sevilla this weekend.
Read More: Barcelona 0-0 Atletico Madrid: Camp Nou draw hands LaLiga advantage to Real Madrid
While there might have been no goals at Camp Nou but the match was certainly not short of any action. From Luis Suarez getting a few chances to score against his former club, to Lionel Messi showing glimpses of his magic, to Yannick Carrasco stealing the show, the fans had a lot to cheer about on Sunday. However, some of the viewers were quite surprised when they saw Barcelona's manager Ronald Koeman sitting in the stands instead of the dugout. For the whole 90 minutes, the 58-year-old was seen passing instructions through his mobile phone as fans hilariously pointed it out on social media.
Reason behind Koeman sitting in the stands
The Barcelona manager had notably received a red-card and two-match ban for saying "Vaya personaje!" ["What a character!"] to the fourth official during his side's 2-1 defeat at the hands of Granada last week. While he served the first part of the suspension against Valencia, he had to serve the second part of his ban during the all-important game against Atletico.
Reflecting on the two-match ban, Koeman had said in a press conference on Friday, "I feel it is something personal, yes. I don't think what I said is insulting. It is not a reason to ban someone for two games. So, there is something else."
The Dutch manager was certainly not happy with the ban but had to follow the rules and could not be there at the touchline for Barcelona on Saturday. However, the 58-year-old made sure that he will pass all the instructions to his assistant manager Alfred Schreuder through his mobile phone. While a 0-0 draw won't please many Barca fans, they would be happy to have Koeman back in the dugout for their next match against Levante in mid-week.