UEFA will investigate an ugly incident involving an Atletico Madrid staff member ‘spitting’ at Liverpool fans.
As tempers flared after Liverpool snatched a dramatic 3-2 late win courtesy of Virgil van Dijk’s header on Wednesday night, footage has emerged of the disgusting act.
In the clip, Diego Simeone confronts Liverpool fan Jonny Poulter, who sent him into a meltdown by goading him throughout the match.
Stewards intervened before more members of Atletico’s backroom team piled in to an already chaotic situation on the Anfield sideline.
One man wearing a long club-issue coat with slick dark hair pretended to move away before racing back in and appearing to spit in the direction of the Liverpool fans.
Seven stewards on hand eventually shepherded the irate Atletico bench away from the situation.
The Atletico Madrid member of staff (right) was caught on camera ‘spitting’ towards Liverpool fans
Daily Mail Sport contacted UEFA for comment and a spokesperson said they are waiting for the official reports into the game, which will be reviewed in the coming days.
At that point there will be a decision made over whether official disciplinary proceedings are going to be opened and Liverpool will need to provide the footage of the incident given they’re the home side.
Poulter, 30, alleges that the spit was targeted at him. In a video he posted online on Thursday, he said: ‘Something I want to get off my chest here, with regards to what happened last night with Mr Simeone and I think he’s a bit of a coward,’ he said in a video posted on X.
‘When he went in and done his press conference after the game, the Spanish media asked him what was said, if it was racist, if it was regarding the Falklands War or all this rubbish.
‘There was nothing racist said by me or anyone else, there was never a mention of the Falklands War by me or anyone else, but the fact that he was asked it and didn’t answer the question and he just got up and walked out has left it open for speculation to the world.
‘I’ve had messages on every platform I don’t know how many of people asking what did you say? I didn’t say anything apart from “waheeyyy f*** off we won” basically, as you do.
‘But that’s what he done to us. When they scored the equaliser his assistant manager was giving it in front of us and obviously he was being called a s***house and whatever else. And yeah, his assistant manager who came over and spat at me, yeah…’
Simeone said after the game: ‘Let’s talk about what refers to me. We are in a place where we don’t have a right to reply or react, do we? It’s never very good when we react as managers, is it? We are the people on the stage out there and need to behave well.
‘But if there are comments against racism or insults, we can get angry and fight back as well. Managers, from the place that we are, get insulted all of the game.
‘When they scored the third goal, he turned around and insulted me, when I turned around, I am a person and I’m human.
‘I’m not going to get into the exact nature of the insults. I don’t want to get involved with that, I don’t want that discussion. 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.’
When asked to expand on his mention of racism, Simeone walked out of the press conference.
Poulter, who was sat behind the opposing dugout in the Anfield Road stand, was seen shouting ‘f*** off’ on a number of occasions towards the Atletico bench when they equalised at 2-2, before tensions boiled over following the winning goal.
And now it can be revealed that Poulter was banned from football for three years following a row with another supporter during Steven Gerrard’s final game for the club.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Poulter shouted abuse at David Hingham, 61, who was with his disabled wife, when he was asked to move a banner dedicated to the Liverpool legend in their match against Crystal Palace on April 16, 2015.
Poulter denied using abusive or threatening behaviour, and insulting words to cause harassment, alarm or distress, but was convicted at Sefton Magistrates’ Court.
The court was told that the incident happened as Gerrard walked out to a guard of honour in tribute to his 17 years of service to the club. Poulter was subjected to an eight-week curfew between 9.30pm and 6am.
Simeone made a beeline for the fan and revealed he had been hit with ‘insults all night’
Jonny Poulter took to X to reveal he had sent Diego Simeone into a rage on Wednesday night
Mr Hingham said: ‘There was quite a lot of coverage in the press and we knew the would be a guard of honour as he came onto the pitch, making it quite a send off for him.
‘The anticipation of that was quite high, we had seen a lot about it on the TV and it was a big game for people.’
Poulter’s banner was raised directly in front of the disabled supporters in the Kop – an area where flags are regularly raised but taken down once the players enter the pitch. On this occasion they did not and Mr Hingham asked Poulter to remove his banner.
Mr Hingham’s disabled wife Laura told the court she could see Poulter was ‘angry’ and that she could hear him ‘swearing’, while the lifelong Liverpool fan said he felt ‘threatened and intimidated’ by Poulter – who was cautioned in 2013 for attempting to take smoke pellets into Wigan’s DW Stadium.
It is claimed that Poulter said: ‘We have been trying to get you wheelchair users moved for some time, and we will keep trying.’
An onlooking supporter asked Poulter to ‘cut out’ the swearing, to which she was told to ‘f***** p*** off’.
Poulter admitted that he told Mr Higham: ‘This is the Kop, this is our tradition, this is what we do, if you don’t like it there’s the door you can f*** off.’ However he claimed he had been ‘intimidated’ by Mr Hingham, who had entered his ‘personal space’.
The court was told that Poulter apologised to Mr Hingham and his wife at the first home game of the following season, and shook his hand. Nevertheless he received a lengthy ban from football.
