Soccer: Spat with Colombian angers Durante

Andrew Durante. Photo / Getty Images

Wellington Phoenix captain Andrew Durante wants disciplinary action taken against a Shanghai Shenhua opponent who spat on his face during an Asian champions league soccer tie in China on Tuesday.

Durante, who is on loan to A-League rivals Sydney FC, has urged the Asian Football Confederation to at least reprimand Shenhua forward Duvier Riascos after the Colombian spat at him during the Australian side's 3-2 win.

Riascos and Durante jostled at a corner and when the two faced up Durante said he was struck in the face with saliva.

Television cameras captured the incident but the match officials missed it and the referee took no action despite Durante's complaint.

"We were scuffling in the box as the ball was coming in and we were pulling a bit at each other's shirts and then he started mouthing off and I was giving him some banter back before he got right in my face and he just spat at me," Durante told The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

"Away from a football field, if somebody spits in your face, you're going to retaliate. But with the referees in Asia, I'd almost certainly have been sent off. It's probably one of the worst things you can do to someone on the field. It was pretty poor.

"I told the referee that he'd done it, but he wasn't interested. I don't know if there's any action they'll take now but there should be," he said.

- NZPA