Atletico Madrid defender Sime Vrsaljko could find himself in hot water after footage appeared to show him spitting at Manchester City defender Kyle Walker in the aftermath of Wednesday evening's Champions League clash.
City's game against Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium descended into chaos shortly before full-time when the Felipe kicked out at Phil Foden. The Brazilian defender was shown a second yellow card for his offence and further bans are expected.
Atletico defender Stefan Savic, who was part of City's squad when they won the Premier League in 2011-12, tried to drag the injured Foden off the ground, headbutted Raheem Sterling and grabbed Jack Grealish's hair after an x-rated comment from the City star.
Incredibly, Savic wasn't dismissed for his actions but is likely to face a UEFA punishment. City went on to win the tie 1-0 on aggregate following the goalless draw in Madrid, yet the drama didn't end there - as a brawl between the two teams unfolded in the tunnel.
As he rowed with several members of the opposition, Vrsaljko launched what appeared to be a pair of goalkeeping gloves in Walker's direction. The object hit a member of City's entourage.
A few seconds later, Vrsaljko shrugged off those holding him back and made a beeline for the City party. He was briefly held back by an Atletico colleague before appearing to make a spitting motion towards a member of City's team.
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It's unclear if Vrsaljko actually spat due to the quality of the video footage. And, if he did spit, it's unclear who he was aiming at. Yet Walker's animated reaction suggests he wasn't best pleased with Vrsaljko's actions, as he was held back by Ederson. No formal accusations have yet been made against Vrsaljko.
Police were then forced to get involved to separate the two teams. Speaking to CBS Sports, reporter Guillem Balague - who was in the tunnel when the drama unfolded - said he "thinks" Vrsaljko spat but couldn't confirm for sure.
"It was first Savic exchanging words with Grealish," said Balague. "And then Vrsaljko going absolutely mental and throwing things around and I think even spitting. We're not sure exactly [who it was] against. Walker was there at the other side."
When asked about Atletico's behaviour on Wednesday evening, Rio Ferdinand said: "Some distasteful behaviour I thought we witnessed there from some of the Atletico players. They should be embarrassed with some of the antics, Savic especially.
"You have to say well done to the way they've played to be fair, Atletico. They made Man City play in a way we haven’t seen them play in a long time. Took them out of their rhythm... but some of the stuff towards the end of the game, not what you want to see."
Joleon Lescott added: "The last 10 minutes, [I] can't condone it. To be honest, Simeone's got to take some responsibility because he seemed to encourage some behaviour. It's not a thing you want to see from a top level coach, an elite manager."
