Simeone sent off as UEFA opens case after Anfield clash

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone was sent off after a touchline confrontation with a Liverpool supporter late in the Spanish side's 3-2 Champions League defeat at Anfield on Wednesday, an incident that has prompted UEFA disciplinary proceedings and sparked separate inquiries after video emerged showing a member of Atletico's staff appearing to spit toward home fans. The clash followed Virgil van Dijk's 92nd minute header that sealed Liverpool's win in a game Marcos Llorente twice levelled for Atletico before the dramatic finish.

Simeone, 55, was shown a straight red card after approaching a section of the crowd near the visitors' dugout and being restrained by stewards and his coaching staff. He told Spanish broadcaster Movistar after the match that he regretted his reaction but said he had endured "insults the whole game" and had been provoked repeatedly from behind the bench. "My reaction to the insult is not justifiable, but you don't know what 90 minutes of being insulted without stopping is like," he said, adding that the referee had told him he understood the situation.

Footage circulating on social media appears to show at least one Atletico staff member confronting...