Author: Barkha Roy
BBC Radio 5 commentator and former Chelsea player Chris Sutton has called for the FA to ban Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp over his recent on-field behavior during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Reds manager celebrated his team’s late victory in front of fourth official John Brooks. During the celebration, Klopp injured his thigh and, after his inappropriate behavior, was punished with a yellow card by referee Paul Tierney.
In an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sutton said: “For the way he acted on the pitch, he should be banned from the technical area, I don’t think a fine is enough. He has a history. In my opinion, Klopp should be banned. He knows what he did was wrong.”
The same sentiment was expressed by the CEO of Ref Support UK, Martin Cassidy, who called for the soccer association to ban the German from standing on the edge of the pitch. He also asked the FA to consider more drastic punishments so that such events don’t happen again.
“We believe the suspension should be at least three games,” Cassidy told BBC Sport.“We also believe that the FA should consider points deductions at all levels for those who regularly abuse referees.”
This isn’t the first time Klopp has been accused of disrespecting a referee. He received a one-match suspension and a £30,000 fine after being sent off for insulting the assistant referee in October against Manchester City.
Earlier, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in a tight game where the hosts won 4-3. Spurs had a difficult start to the match against Liverpool, conceding three goals in the first fifteen minutes. Although they managed to equalize in extra time, their efforts were undone by Portuguese striker Diogo Jota’s goal in the final moments of the game.
Four Brazilians took part in the match – two for each side. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson put in a good performance, making crucial saves despite conceding three goals. Meanwhile, Fabinho was on the offensive and pressed high up, often positioning himself correctly.
For Spurs, Richarlison and Lucas Moura came on as substitutes. The former scored his first goal for the visitors in the Premier League, but his request for a penalty went unheeded. However, Lucas Moura was the antagonist for the visitors, as despite scoring in extra time thanks to a back pass from the former PSG player, Jota scored in the final moments of the match.