 "Diego Simeone reacts with referee Maurizio Mariani after the match. Image: Reuters/Reddit")
The UEFA Champions League clash between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday ended in drama both on and off the pitch. Atletico coach Diego Simeone lost his cool after Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time winner gave Liverpool a 3-2 victory, and videos of him confronting home fans went viral.
Simeone was seen charging towards supporters behind the dugout before being pulled away by security officials and his own staff. The manager was then shown a red card by the referee. After the game, he hinted that racist comments from fans may have been behind his angry reaction, though he did not confirm anything.
“I am not going to get into the exact nature of the insults. I don’t want to get involved in 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 have to live with it,” he said after the match.
Liverpool fan accuses Atletico staff of spitting at him
The incident has put Liverpool fan Jonny Poulter in the spotlight as he was the one Simeone confronted. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Poulter shared his side of the story and accused an Atletico staff member of spitting at him.
“Something I want to get off my chest in regards to what happened last night with Simeone. I think he’s a bit of a coward, when he went and did his press conference after the game, the Spanish media asked what was said, whether it was racist, regarding the Falklands War and all this rubbish," the fan was quoted as saying.
“There was nothing racist said, no mention of the Falklands War by me or anyone else. But the fact he was asked and didn’t answer and just walked out has left it open to speculation across the world,” he added.
Poulter, however, admitted that he showed a middle-finger gesture to the Atletico bench after Liverpool’s victory. “I’ve had messages on every platform of people asking what I said. I never said anything apart from [gesture with middle finger] ‘f*** off, we’ve won’…as you do,” Poulter said.
“When they scored the equaliser, his assistant was giving it to us and he was called a ‘sh**house’ and whatever else. And his assistant manager then came over and spat at me,” he added.
UEFA has now launched an investigation into the incident, especially into Poulter’s claim that one of Atletico’s coaches spat at him. Meanwhile, Poulter’s history is also questionable as the English media have claimed that he was banned for three years in 2015 for abusing a Liverpool fan.