Atletico Madrid refuse to take part in Real Madrid "mockery attempt"

Atletico Madrid have doubled down on their refusal to give rivals Real Madrid a guard of honour ahead of kick-off in Sunday's derby.

Carlo Ancelotti 's team make the cross-city trip to the Wanda Metropolitano this weekend after wrapping up the LaLiga title in emphatic fashion last Saturday. Los Blancos, who face Manchester City for a place in the Champions League final on Wednesday, beat Esapnyol 4-0 to reclaim the Spanish crown from Atletico, who were the reigning champions.

Unlike in the Premier League, however, Diego Simeone and Co. will not honour Real for their achievement with a pre-match guard of honour. Defender Jose Gimenez told reporters after their 2-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday: "A guard of honour to Real Madrid? We congratulate them, but we have a lot of respect for our fans."

Goalkeeper Jan Oblak echoed Gimenez's comments but admitted his team would follow whatever protocol their club decided. "As captain I'm one of those who doesn't like to give or receive the guard of honour," Oblak declared. "The club will decide and we'll do whatever is necessary."

Now the former champions, who notably gave Barcelona special treatment in 2013, have officially weighed in on the debate and were quoted by Marca explaining their reasoning for not taking part in "this mockery attempt". Atletico said: "Some want to turn what was born as a gesture of recognition of the champion into a public toll that must be paid by their rivals, also impregnated with the aroma of humiliation.

"Under no circumstances will Atletico Madrid collaborate in this attempt at derision in which the true values of the sport are completely forgotten and tension and confrontation between fans are encouraged.

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