Senegal football star El-Hadji Diouf was fined 5,000 pounds here on Thursday for spitting on a fan during a UEFA Cup quarter-final between his club Liverpool and Scottish giants Celtic.

Diouf pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to assault under provocation for spitting at supporter Dominic Shiavone at Celtic's Parkhead stadium on March 13.

The incident happened when Diouf got tangled up with some of the Celtic supporters at the edge of the pitch while going to retrieve the ball late in the second half.

After being slapped on the back of the head by one of the fans, the player retaliated by spitting as he pulled away.

He was subsequently dropped from Liverpool's squad for the return leg, fined two weeks wages by the club and banned for two matches by European football's governing body UEFA.

The 22-year-old, voted African player of the year for 2002, was bought by Liverpool from French club Lens for around 10 million pounds (15 million dollars) after playing for Senegal in the World Cup last summer.

He struggled to make an impact in his first season in English football but his form in the current campaign has been encouraging for Liverpool fans.