Uefa today charged Arsenal striker Eduardo with diving to win a penalty against Celtic and he could now face missing the Gunners' first two Champions League group games.
European football's governing body announced they had opened disciplinary proceedings against the Croatia international for "deceiving the referee" in Wednesday night's play-off round second leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Uefa said in a statement: "Having studied video evidence of the incident in question, the Uefa disciplinary inspector decided to charge the player concerned. The Uefa control and disciplinary body will examine the case on September 1."
The charge is based on Article 10, paragraph 1c of the Uefa disciplinary regulations (misconduct of players) which states: "Players may be suspended for two competition matches, or for a specified period, for acting with the obvious intent to cause any match official to make an incorrect decision or supporting his error of judgment and thereby causing him to make an incorrect decision."
If Eduardo is suspended he would miss Standard Liege away on September 16 and the home match with Olympiacos on September 29. Eduardo fell as Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc came sliding out and scored from the resulting penalty.
Afterwards, Scottish FA chief executive Gordon Smith called for the striker to be sanctioned by Uefa.
Smith said: "Eduardo is a terrific player who has battled back from a serious injury to resume playing at the highest level.
"However, last night he showed disrespect to the game by his actions in winning a penalty against Celtic."
Eduardo suffered a serious broken leg two seasons ago and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said the striker was taking evasive action.
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: "I think that if you have had an injury like that it's fairly natural that you might want to avoid significant contact."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments