Uefa is set to investigate allegations that a member of Atletico Madrid’s backroom staff spat towards Liverpool supporters during a row near the end of Wednesday’s Champions League tie.
The flashpoint happened after Virgil van Dijk’s 92nd-minute goal, which sealed a 3-2 success for the home side after the visiting team had fought back from 2-0 down.
Videos taken by fans at Anfield and posted on social media appear to show Atletico’s club nutritionist, David Lagos, spitting in the direction of home fans behind the dugouts. A bottle of water was also thrown towards fans, with stewards already trying to keep Atletico staff and supporters apart at that point.
The Spanish club has been approached for comment.
Diego Simeone, the Atletico manager, was then sent off and alleged that he had been insulted by fans throughout a pulsating game, with matters boiling over after Van Dijk’s winner.
A Uefa spokesman said it was awaiting the official reports into the game, which will be reviewed in the coming days. A decision on whether to open proceedings against anyone, or either club, will then follow. The responsibility for providing CCTV images of the rumpus will fall on Liverpool as the home team.
A fan who claimed he was one of those confronted by Simeone and spat at by a member of his backroom team posted a video on social media on Thursday morning.
In the video, posted on the X account of a fan named Jonny Poulter, the supporter admitted directing abuse at the Argentinian manager after Liverpool’s winning goal, saying he said “F*** off, we’ve won” while aiming an offensive hand gesture at him.
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But Poulter added: “The Spanish media asked Simeone what was said, if it was racist, if it was responding to the Falklands War. There was nothing racist said by me or anyone else. There was never any mention of the Falklands War by me or anyone else.
“The fact he [Simeone] didn’t answer [in his press conference] and just walked out left it open to speculation from the world.”
It emerged that Poulter was initially banned from football matches for three years in 2015 after shouting abuse at a supporter, who was with his disabled wife, at Steven Gerrard’s last game at Anfield for Liverpool.
The disagreement started when Poulter raised a banner in front of the disabled supporters in the Kop when the players came out on the pitch, despite being asked to take it down. However, The Times understands that the ban was later reduced to about six weeks after an appeal to the courts.
Simeone said that insults from Liverpool fans were to blame for his explosive reaction after the winning goal. He was dismissed by the Italian referee Maurizio Mariani after exchanging words with supporters sitting behind the bench.
Simeone, right, speaks to the referee Mariani before being sent off
ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA
TV pictures showed a fan laughing at the Atletico manager as he was held back by stewards. The 55-year-old then turned to the fourth official to report what had been said, as his coaching staff continued to remonstrate angrily.
Asked about the clash in his post-match press conference, Simeone said: “It’s never very good when we react as managers, is it? But if there are comments against racism or insults, we can get angry and fight back as well, managers.
“When they scored the third goal, he [the supporter] turned around and insulted me. When I turned around, I am a person and I’m human.”
Simeone’s mention of racism prompted further questions on what exactly was said to him. However, he would not reveal the details, insisting he has to “live with” such incidents.
“I’m not going to get into the exact nature of the insults,” he said. “I don’t want to get involved with that. I have got to stay in my place. I know what went on behind the manager’s bench.
“I can’t solve society’s problems in one press conference. I’ve got to live with it because it exists all over the place.”