Atletico Madrid Investigates Confrontation Following Champions League Match
Atletico Madrid has announced plans to investigate a mass confrontation that occurred during their 3-2 Champions League defeat at Anfield, which involved a member of their backroom staff appearing to spit into the crowd.
Atletico's head coach, Diego Simeone, received a red card following a heated exchange with a supporter that escalated into a melee near the away bench.
Video footage from the incident, which took place after Virgil van Dijk scored a late winner for Liverpool, seemingly shows a member of Simeone's team spitting towards the crowd.
UEFA, the governing body of European football, may also consider disciplinary action after reviewing all relevant official reports.
In a statement to BBC Sport, Atletico confirmed they would conduct their own investigation into the incident but declined to make any public comments at this time.
Liverpool has offered to provide any relevant CCTV footage and additional information to assist in a potential UEFA inquiry.
During the match, Simeone had to be physically restrained from confronting a fan who was directing insults at him.
After the game, the Argentine coach remarked, "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."
When pressed for details on the insults, Simeone responded, "I’m not going to get into the exact nature of the insults. 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."