The English Football Association has sanctioned Jürgen Klopp for his referee criticism. For Liverpool FC, the suspension of his coach comes at the worst possible time.
The English Football Association (FA) has suspended Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for one game and suspended him for another game on probation. As the FA announced, they were reacting to statements made by Klopp after the Reds’ home game against Tottenham (4: 3).
The 55-year-old made inappropriate comments to the referee. Klopp is now absent from his team in the Premier League home game against Aston Villa on Saturday (4 p.m.), and the former Dortmund coach has to pay a fine of 75,000 pounds (around 86,500 euros).
After the last-minute win against Tottenham at the end of April, Klopp ran angrily towards the fourth official. Above all, his anger was directed at the main referee Paul Tierney, with whom you have “a history”, as Klopp claimed on the British pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sports: “I really don’t know what this man has against us. Like him me look – I don’t get it.” Klopp later apologized for his statements. If there is another incident of this kind by the end of the 2023/2024 season, Klopp will have to sit out another game, the FA said.
The suspension of their head coach comes at a bad time for Liverpool. With the remaining two games of the season, the fifth-placed Reds are still fighting to qualify for the Champions League. Only the top four teams in the Premier League start the new season in the premier class. Liverpool are a point behind Manchester United and Newcastle United, who have played one game fewer than Klopp’s side.