Jurgen Klopp set to face penalties for celebrating Liverpool's winning goal in the fourth official's face and criticizing referee Paul Tierney in an interview.
Jurgen Klopp went viral on Sunday following his jubilant reaction to Liverpool’s stoppage-time winner against Tottenham in the Premier League, with the Reds triumphing 4-3 at home to Spurs after nearly throwing away a 3-0 first-half lead.
However, the German boss’ reaction looks set to land him in hot water as he is facing a lengthy FA ban following his clash with the match officials, ranging from the fourth official to referee Paul Tierney.
The former Dortmund boss, who was already irate over previous refereeing decisions, celebrated Diogo Jota’s last-gasp winner by running up to the fourth official and celebrating in his face, pulling his hamstring along the way.
Paul Tierney, who was the match official, spoke to the Anfield boss before booking him but Klopp wasn’t pleased with what the referee had to say.
Speaking after the final whistle, the 55-year-old tactician went a step further and publicly slammed Tierney for allegedly using inappropriate words.
“We have our history with Tierney, I really don’t know what he has against us,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“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.”
However, referees are miked in the Premier League, and after listening to the audio, the PGMOL, the body responsible for referees in English football, defended Tierney in an official statement, revealing that the match official acted in a professional manner.
Klopp is now being investigated by the FA, with the PGMOL set to send the audio of Tierney’s conversation with Jurgen over to the organized body in charge.
As reported by the Daily Mail, one insider claims that the audio of that conversation is a “smoking gun” that will clear Tierney of any wrongdoing and likely land Klopp a suspension.
The Liverpool boss has already suffered a one-match suspension after letting loose on the assistant referee during the Reds’ home clash with Manchester City earlier this season, which they won 1-0. Additionally, the German has a history with Tierney, having scolded this referee in previous games he has officiated.
This will be worrying news for the Merseyside giants as they mount a late push for UEFA Champions League football. While Salah and Co. have only five games left this season, the English giants are in fifth and are seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
Not only do the Red Devils have a game in hand, but losing their manager to a lengthy ban could be the final nail in the coffin for Liverpool’s hopes of miraculously finishing in the top four.
