UEFA are reviewing allegations that a member of the Atletico Madrid coaching staff spat at Liverpool supporters during Wednesday night’s Champions League thriller at Anfield.
Atletico Madrid Staff Member Accused Of Spitting At Liverpool Fan
The incident came moments after Virgil van Dijk’s dramatic 92nd-minute header sealed a 3-2 victory for Liverpool.
Atletico Madrid had fought back from two goals down through a Marcos Llorente brace, only for Arne Slot’s side to snatch all three points at the death.
As tensions boiled over, Diego Simeone was shown a red card by referee Maurizio Mariani following a heated exchange with fans behind the away dugout.
Videos circulating on social media then appeared to show one of Simeone’s staff members spitting in the direction of the crowd, despite stewards already attempting to keep supporters and Atletico officials apart.
A UEFA spokesperson confirmed that they are awaiting the official match delegate and referee reports before deciding whether to open formal proceedings. Any disciplinary action could fall on Atletico Madrid if wrongdoing is proven.
As the host club, Liverpool will also be responsible for providing full CCTV coverage of the incident at Anfield, which is expected to play a key role in determining what happened.
Diego Simeone Fan Confrontation
Footage published by Marca showed at least one Liverpool fan making gestures towards Simeone and his staff, including a V-sign, after Llorente’s equaliser.
The Atletico manager later said insults from supporters were behind his reaction to Van Dijk’s goal, admitting he lost his composure in the heat of the moment.
“It’s never good when managers react,” Simeone said afterwards. “But if there are insults, we are human too. When they scored the third goal, he [a supporter] turned around and insulted me. I turned around because I’m a person, and I’m human.”
When pressed on whether the comments were racist in nature, Simeone declined to provide details, saying only that he has to “live with” such incidents.
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