Atletico Madrid could be without coach Diego Simeone for the second leg of their Champions League tie with Juventus, as the Argentine could be hit with a touchline ban.
The Argentine celebrated his side taking the lead against the Bianconeri on Wednesday night in controversial fashion as he grobbed his crotch in the dugout.
While Simeone tried to play down the incident, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports UEFA are considering opening a disciplinary proceeding based on the match report of referee Felix Zwayer and the match delegate.
Although the former Inter and Lazio midfielder insisted the gesture ‘came from his heart’, many viewed it as a protest towards VAR, which penalised his side twice.
However, Simeone has apologised for the gesture and claims it ‘came from the heart’ while UEFA could view the situation in a lenient manner, believing it was only an exaggerated celebration.
UEFA could also look into the incident via an inspector or ignore the incident all together, and simply warn Simeone not to exaggerate his behaviour on the sidelines.
Atletico are favourites to secure their place in the next round after securing a 2-0 victory over Juventus at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The second leg will be played on March 12, with Los Rojiblancos leading 2-0 on aggregate thanks to first leg goals from Jose Maria Gimenez and Diego Godin.