Liverpool’s manager, Jürgen Klopp, has been handed a two-match touchline ban by the Football Association (FA) for his comments about referee Paul Tierney following Liverpool’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur in April. Along with the ban, Klopp was also fined £75,000 ($93,000, 86,000 euros) by the FA.
In the heated post-match interviews, Klopp criticised Tierney’s decision to award a foul against Mohamed Salah. Klopp also claimed that Tierney’s comments were inappropriate and cited Liverpool’s history with the official, which he felt had resulted in bias.
Klopp’s celebration after Diogo Jota scored the winning goal in stoppage time was deemed unnecessary, and he was shown a yellow card for running down the touchline and celebrating in front of fourth official John Brooks.
The FA stated that Klopp’s comments about Tierney were improper conduct, suggested bias, questioned the referee’s integrity, and were offensive, personal and brought the game into disrepute. Klopp later admitted to the charges.
The Liverpool manager will serve the first game of the two-match ban immediately, meaning he will not be on the touchline for Liverpool’s game against Aston Villa on Saturday. The second game of the ban will be suspended, depending on Klopp’s future conduct.
Klopp’s vocal persona and passion on the touchline have been an integral part of his success at Liverpool. However, with a touchline ban imminent, Klopp will rely on his assistant coaches to lead his team on the touchline.
All eyes will be on Klopp’s future actions on the touchline, as another misconduct charge could result in the activation of the suspended ban. Klopp will need to tread carefully and ensure that he abides by the FA’s strict code of conduct in the future.
