The Milan goalkeeper Dida faces an anxious wait to see if he will be banned by Uefa following his antics at the end of last Wednesday's Champions League defeat to Celtic after European football's governing body yesterday opened disciplinary proceedings against the player and his club.

Dida's elaborate fall and subsequent removal from the field on a stretcher followed a spectator running on to the pitch and issuing no more than a playful tap in his direction after Scott McDonald had scored Celtic's last-minute winner.

Uefa announced on Friday that a disciplinary case was being opened against the Scottish champions for a lack or organisation and failure to control their crowd but, because at that point it could find no legislative grounds to punish Dida, it merely asked for an explanation from Milan as to why they substituted the Brazilian.

That explanation was submitted yesterday and, given that it did not meet Uefa's approval, Dida and his club will be the subject of a separate investigation by the 10-man control and disciplinary body on Thursday.