Liverpool manager Arne Slot handed 2-match touchline ban for confronting match officials

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This article was published 26/02/2025 (585 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot was handed a two-match touchline suspension on Wednesday for his conduct toward match officials after a wild Merseyside derby against Everton.

Slot admitted to a charge that he “acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behavior towards both the match referee and an assistant referee” after the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park on Feb. 12, the Football Association said.

As well as issuing a ban, an independent Regulatory Commission also fined Slot 70,000 pounds ($90,000), the FA said.

Slot was shown a red card for his post-match conduct and has since said he regretted his actions. The Dutch coach appeared to aggressively shake the hand of referee Michael Oliver and make some comments to the official amid the post-match chaos at the last Merseyside derby to be played at Goodison Park before Everton’s long-time home is demolished at the end of the season and the team moves to a new stadium.

James Tarkowski scored an equalizer for Everton in the eighth minute of stoppage time. Only five minutes of added-on time were allotted, perhaps explaining Slot’s unhappiness.

Slot was one of four people to receive red cards after the game, along with his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, and two players — Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure — following their confrontation which sparked a free-for-all as players, coaches, stewards and even police officers got involved in the pushing and shoving.

The commission fined Everton 65,000 pounds ($82,000) and Liverpool 50,000 pounds ($63,000) for failing “to ensure their players and/or technical area occupants did not behave in an improper and/or provocative way following the final whistle.”

Hulshoff was also given a two-match touchline ban and fined 7,000 pounds ($9,000) for his conduct toward a match official before getting a red card and after being sent off.

It means Slot and Hulshoff will be absent from the dugout for Liverpool’s next two domestic games — Premier League matches at Anfield against Newcastle on Wednesday and Southampton on March 8.

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Liverpool leads the league by 11 points.

Speaking two days after the derby, Slot didn’t disclose what he said to the match officials.

However, he said: “The emotions got the better of me and if I look back, I would love to do it differently. I’m hoping to do it differently next time.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer