Arne Slot was close to being banned for the Carabao Cup final after reportedly telling the referee Michael Oliver: “If we don’t win the league, I’ll f**king blame you,” when tempers flared after the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.”
The Liverpool head coach received a two-match touchline ban after being shown a red card after last month’s 2-2 draw at Everton, when James Tarkowski equalised in the 98th minute and a melee erupted after the final whistle.
In the written reasons for Slot’s punishment by a Football Association regulatory commission, published on Tuesday, it is confirmed the 46-year-old would have received a three-match suspension but for his public apology, admitting the charge at the earliest opportunity and having no previous misconduct offence during his short time in English football.
A three-match ban would have forced Slot to sit in the stands for Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday week, his first Wembley date with the club.
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The FA commission found Slot acted in a “confrontational and aggressive” manner when he twice approached Oliver and an assistant referee at Goodison. “It was alleged that he initially used abusive words whilst shaking the referee’s hand including that the referee had ‘f**king give them everything’ and that AS [Slot] hoped that the referee ‘was proud of that performance’,” said the judgment.
“The referee thereafter confirms (having reviewed the video footage to clarify) that he was approached again by AS around one minute later. In this exchange, AS once again shook the referee’s hand and said: ‘If we don’t win the league, I’ll f**king blame you.’ It is then further alleged that AS turned to the assistant referee and shouted twice that it was ‘a f**king disgrace’. As a result of AS’ conduct, he was shown a red card by the referee.”
Slot denied using those words, stating in a submission that he had said: “If we don’t win the league, I will have you to thank for that.” But the three-person commission concluded it was “more likely than not that AS used the language alleged by the referee and the FA”.
The FA argued that in any event Slot had acted improperly, and the head coach accepted that. Slot did not deny saying the words “f**king disgrace” to an assistant referee.
The commission added: “AS, as the manager of LFC, is a role model and should be exercising good discipline both on and off the pitch, and setting an example to his players, who had already involved themselves in a serious mass confrontation; AS approached the referee not once but twice to reiterate his frustration; AS also approached the assistant referee, culminating in the second breach.”
Slot’s assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, received a two-match ban – also reduced from three due to mitigating factors – having confronted Oliver in an “extremely aggressive manner” according to the commission. “It is alleged that SH said the referee was ‘f**king shit’ and ‘gave them everything’ and he was a ‘f**king disgrace’.”
Slot asked the commission to consider staggering his and Hulshoff’s suspensions so that both were not absent from the dugout at the same time. The commission, which also fined Slot £70,000 and his assistant £7,000, rejected that request.
It also found that the mass confrontation sparked by Abdoulaye Doucouré goading Liverpool fans after the final whistle, and Curtis Jones’s “aggressive and disproportionate” response, was “of a more serious nature than both EFC and LFC were admitting to”. Everton were fined £65,000 and Liverpool £50,000 for the confrontation. — Guardian
