REVEALED: Liverpool have had to ‘remind Kostas Tsimikas of his responsibilities’ after disgusted fans spotted him SPITTING GUM into the stands below Wembley’s Royal Box after beating Chelsea
- Liverpool defeated Chelsea on penalties to win the Carabao Cup at Wembley
- Reds defender Kostas Tsimikas did not play a minute of the final on Sunday
- As he celebrated, footage appears to show him spitting into the stand below
- Liverpool have explained to Sportsmail that he was disposing of chewing gum, rather than spitting, and he is apologetic following the reaction to the footage
Fans have been left appalled after footage from Liverpool’s Carabao Cup celebrations appears to show defender Kostas Tsimikas spitting into the stands below.
Tsimikas, who didn’t play a single minute of Liverpool’s penalty shootout triumph over Chelsea, was singing and dancing with his team-mates in Wembley Stadium’s Royal Box as they were presented with the trophy.
Footage shows Liverpool’s players lining up against the barrier with the winners’ medals around their neck.
Tsimikas is then seen leaning forward and appearing to spit towards the stand directly below the box. Alternative angles appear to suggest that nobody was directly beneath where Tsimikas apparently spat.
Sportsmail reached out to Liverpool and the Merseyside club explained that Tsimikas was getting rid of chewing gum, rather than spitting.
It has also been added that, while nobody was directly below Tsimikas following their own investigation, Liverpool have reminded the player, who is said to be apologetic about the incident, of his responsibilities following the reaction to the footage.
Liverpool’s players received medals in the Royal Box after winning Sunday’s Carabao Cup final
Defender Kostas Tsimikas (right, leaning forward) has been accused of spitting by angry viewers after footage showed him leaning over the barrier during the medal ceremony
Chelsea fans and viewers of the final were furious at the ‘despicable behaviour’ seen in the clip
Chelsea writer Matt Debono tweeted the clip with the caption: ‘What have I just seen?! That is disgusting.’
Dominic Pickering, a Chelsea fan, replied that the video showed ‘despicable behaviour’.
‘Proper proper vile this,’ another furious viewer responded.
Tsimikas was an unused substitute in Sunday’s final and last played for Liverpool in their Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Leicester.
A zoomed out angle looks to show that the position directly below Tsimikas housed no people
The Greek (left) did not feature in the final but he celebrated wildly on the pitch at the end
The Greece international, who also didn’t play a single minute of the semi-final against Arsenal, celebrated wildly on the pitch at the end after Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga missed the decisive kick.
Tsimikas was later filmed dancing around the Liverpool dressing room celebrating with team-mates.
The popular squad member was keen not to let the moment of his first medal win with Liverpool pass him by, even with his limited playing time in the latter rounds.
The 25-year-old left back joined Liverpool from Olympiacos in 2020 for a fee close to £12million.
He made seven appearances in his debut season at the club but has already gone on to feature 18 times in 2021-22 for Jurgen Klopp’s side.