Liverpool handed FA fine and players could face further sanctions after VAR fury

02 October 2023 , 13:05

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Liverpool handed FA fine and players could face further sanctions after VAR fury

Liverpool will be hit with a £25k fine after picking up a large number of yellow and red cards in their defeat at Tottenham.

The Reds hit the threshold of cards which constitutes the five-figure fine from the FA and they will have to pay up despite the injustice they faced in north London. Jurgen Klopp saw Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota sent off while four other Liverpool players were booked, as well as assistant manager Peter Krawietz.

Normally it only takes six bookings for the FA to trigger the £25k fine but clubs have been hit harder if their players have acted improperly. There is no indiction though that Liverpool will face extra punishment, which would add insult to injury after their agonising loss.

Klopp claimed his side had gone down in "the most unfair circumstances, crazy decisions" after Luis Diaz had a first-half goal chalked off for offside, although he turned out to be onside, but those at VAR failed to intervene after and play was allowed to go on.

That came after Jones was dismissed, with his initial yellow card upgraded to a red on the advice on VAR. Jota was sent off in the second half after two quick yellows. Liverpool's frustration was evident and only heightened after the PGMOL accepted they'd made a glaring error.

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In a statement they said: "PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool. The goal by Luiz Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.

Referee Simon Hooper shows a red card to Curtis Jones of Liverpool

"This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene. PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error."

Liverpool have since come out with their own view, stating that they will review the options available to them after being on the receiving end of a huge injustice. They also took aim at the processes that were followed, ultimately failing to award them a goal.

It read: "We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR. It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention.

"That such failings have already been categorised as 'significant human error' is also unacceptable. Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency."

Samuel Meade