Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp Banned And Fined For His Comment On Referee Paul Tierney.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has received a two-match ban for comments he made about referee Paul Tierney, and also fined £75,000 having admitted improper conduct.


This means that Klopp will now miss the Reds final Premier League home match against Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday, but will return for the final game of the season away to an already-relegated Southampton, as the second game is suspended until the end of the 2023/24 season.


The ban comes due to comments he made about referee Paul Tierney at the end of the dramatic Tottenham Hotspur game on April 30, with the London side scoring an equaliser in stoppage time from 3-0 down, only for Liverpool to then score a late winner through Diogo Jota, as Klopp further suggested that the official had an agenda against Liverpool.

Klopp was shown a yellow card for celebrating Liverpool's 94th-minute winner in front of the fourth official John Brooks, and later claimed what Tierney said to him was "not OK".

The German was angered by a number of decisions, including Tierney’s failure to award Mohamed Salah a free-kick shortly before Richarlison's equaliser to make it 3-3.


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"We have our history with Tierney," Klopp spoke to Sky Sports about his latest incident with the 42-year-old which saw him booked. 

"I really don't know what he has against us. He has said there [are] no problems but that cannot be true. How he looks at me, I don't understand it.

"In England nobody has to clarify these situations, it's really tricky and hard to understand. What he said to me when he gave me the yellow card is not OK."


The Professional Game Match Officials Board later issued a statement defending Tierney’s behaviour after listening to audio footage of his exchange with Klopp around the booking. "PGMOL is aware of the comments made by Jurgen Klopp after his side’s fixture with Tottenham Hotspur.

"Match officials in the Premier League are recorded in all games via a communications system and having fully reviewed the audio of referee Paul Tierney from today’s fixture, we can confirm he acted in a professional manner throughout including when issuing the caution to the Liverpool manager so, therefore, we strongly refute any suggestion that Tierney’s actions were improper."


In a statement, the FA said: “Jurgen Klopp has been suspended from the touchline for two matches and fined £75,000 following media comments that he made after Liverpool’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 30 April 2023.

“The first match of the manager’s touchline ban is effective immediately and the second is suspended until the end of the 2023/24 season on the condition that he does not commit any further breaches of FA Rule E3 in the meantime.

“Jurgen Klopp admitted that his comments regarding the match referee during post-match media interviews constitute improper conduct as they imply bias, question the integrity of the referee, are personal, offensive, and bring the game into disrepute.

“An independent Regulatory Commission imposed these sanctions following a subsequent hearing.”


The match against Unai Emery's Aston Villa side, is also of vast importance with Liverpool still competing for a spot in the Champions League next season, needing to win their final two games and hope for a slip up from either Manchester United or Newcastle.

They go into this weekend’s game in fifth place with 65 points, a point behind Man United who have a game in hand, and four points behind third place Newcastle.

The Reds are also due to bid farewell to Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita and will celebrate the quartet's contributions to the club after the match with Aston Villa. 

The Merseyside outfit confirmed that the quartet will leave when their contracts expire on June 30. 


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Though, according to reports, Klopp will be allowed on the pitch in the aftermath of the game, with players and staff set to thank the Anfield crowd for their support at their final home match of the season. The touchline ban only applies when the match is in process. 


Since the punishment was handed out, Klopp has publicly apologised.

A statement read: "I want to start this submission with the most important sentiment I must express; I am sorry. I am sorry for my reaction in that immediate moment when I ran towards the fourth official, Mr Brooks and I fully accepted a caution was justified. I accepted that then and I accept now that a yellow card was correct.

“Equally I am sorry for some of the tone and content of my post-match interview. Although it was not my intention I accept now it appears that I was questioning Mr Tierney’s integrity. I take ownership of this. On reflection, the words I used were inappropriate and driven by emotion".




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