Atletico players refuse to give La Liga champions Real Madrid guard of honour

It is customary for the winning club to receive a guard of honour from their next opponents after securing the Spanish La Liga title. At least, that was how it used to be. However, it appears as though Atletico Madrid players are seeing it more as an insult to themselves instead of a sign of respect to newly-crowned champions Real Madrid.

On Saturday, Los Blancos won their record-extending 35th La Liga Santander trophy after thrashing RCD Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. After a dominant season, Real Madrid secured the title with four matches left to play, and it had been a talking point even before the Espanyol match that they would likely be the champions by the time they visit the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium for the Madrid Derby this coming Sunday.

Indeed, the title has been won and members of the football community have extended their congratulations to Real Madrid. However, the ousted former champions are not keen on lining up to applaud the Real Madrid players when they make their way out to the pitch on Sunday.

The guard of honour appears to be something that Atletico Madrid players want to avoid at all costs. According to Marca, defender Jose Maria Gimenez said, "A guard of honour to Real Madrid? We congratulate them, but we have a lot of respect for our fans."

Jan Oblak also spoke up about the gesture, which he feels is unnecessary. "As captain I'm one of those who doesn't like to give or receive the guard of honour," However, he conceded that he will have no choice but to do as the club says. "The club will decide and we'll do whatever is necessary," said Oblak.

Apart from El Clasico, the Madrid Derby is one of the most important matches of the La Liga season. It is often crucial in the title race i previous seasons, but this Sunday's match will not make any impact on the title that has already been won. However, for Atletico it remains crucial since they are at risk of losing out on the Champions League spots after losing against Athletic Club over the weekend.

The players and the fans are desperate to win, and they don't want to start the derby by applauding their opponents. Nevertheless, the final decision rests on the club executives, and it remains to be seen what will happen on Sunday. For now, the players don't want to do it. Even if they eventually do, it has become clear that there will be more animosity than respect behind the gesture.