The Liverpool supporter who provoked Diego Simeone during Atlético Madrid’s dramatic 3–2 defeat at Anfield has been identified as Jonathan Poulter, a 30-year-old debt collector.
Poulter, seated behind the away dugout, was caught on camera hurling abuse at Simeone and his staff throughout the match. The Argentine coach eventually reacted angrily after Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time winner, with stewards intervening to calm the situation.
After the game, Poulter boasted online about the confrontation, calling Simeone a “coward” and accusing one of Atlético’s assistants of spitting at him.
It has since emerged that Poulter has a history of football-related misconduct. In 2015, he was banned for three years after abusing a disabled woman and her husband during Steven Gerrard’s farewell match against Crystal Palace. Witnesses testified that Poulter swore repeatedly, mocked wheelchair users, and refused to lower a banner. Court records also revealed he had previously been cautioned for attempting to smuggle smoke pellets into Wigan’s DW Stadium.
Though Poulter later apologised for the Anfield incident in 2015, his behaviour earned him a lengthy suspension. Fresh footage from the Atlético match shows him making offensive gestures and shouting obscenities after the Spanish side’s equaliser.
Simeone admitted he “endured insults all night” but conceded he should not have reacted. Poulter, however, insists his remarks were only celebratory and denies making any racist or political comments.
