Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been suspended from the touchline for Saturday’s match against Aston Villa.
The ban is part of Klopp’s punishment for comments he made to the media about official Paul Tierney following Liverpool’s dramatic 4-3 win over Tottenham at Anfield on April 30.
He will also be fined £75,000, with a further one-game touchline ban suspended until the end of next season on the condition that he does not reoffend.
Klopp was responding to questions about the yellow card he received from Tierney after running to celebrate in the face of fourth official John Brooks following Diego Jota’s stoppage-time winner.
“We have our history with (Paul) Tierney, I really don’t know what this man has against us, he has said there is no problems but that cannot be true,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“How he looks at me, I don’t understand it. But again? He was reffing against Tottenham [in 2021] where Harry Kane should have got a red card. And I love this player, crazy player and I don’t want him to get a red card, but he should.
An independent commission found Klopp’s words constituted improper conduct as they implied bias, questioned the integrity of the referee, were personal, offensive, and brought the game into disrepute.
Klopp was spared the second game suspension being applied immediately because of the remorse he expressed at his next press conference on May 2 and then in a letter he sent a day later in response to the FA charge.
“The whole situation is off,” Klopp said of the touchline incident at a press conference. “Shouldn’t have happened at all. That’s how it is. It was out of emotion, was out of anger, in that moment.”
In his letter, Klopp apologized for his touchline behavior – accepting that it was deserving of a yellow card – and subsequent “inappropriate” comments about Tierney.
“Both of these incidents were driven by emotion,” wrote the Liverpool boss. “I was overly emotional at some of the decisions made, which then led to frustration and a feeling of unfairness.
“I carried that emotion into the mandated and time sensitive post-match press commitments.”
Liverpool will be without Klopp as they chase Champions League qualification with the Reds one point off fourth having played a game more and relying on Man Utd or Newcastle to slip up.
