UEFA are to investigate a complaint from Denmark that Italian playmaker Francesco Totti spat at Denmark’s Christian Poulsen in their Euro 2004 0-0 draw.
“We have received a complaint from the Danish FA and we are looking at the video evidence now and will decide this afternoon whether to open a case for the disciplinary committee to consider,” a UEFA spokesman said.
He said UEFA would issue a statement later on Wednesday.
“Totti was running around spitting at Christian Poulsen. That’s just not on,” Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen told tabloid BT.
If charged and found guilty, Totti could face the prospect of missing the rest of the competition.
There is a precedent for such a harsh punishment. In November Sinisa Mihajlovic of Lazio was suspended for eight matches by UEFA’s disciplinary committee after he spat Adrian Mutu during his side’s 4-0 defeat to Chelsea.