Slot Slams Ref After Late Goal
Liverpool’s boss, Arne Slot, didn’t mince words after his team gave up a late goal in the big Merseyside derby. Ref Michael Oliver said later that Slot told him he’d be to blame if Liverpool didn’t win the league. Slot’s Blistering Referee Critique.
ICYMT: Record-Breaking Gunners Delight Arteta.
Red Cards Fly as Tempers Flare
After Everton’s James Tarkowski scored a crazy tying goal way late in the game, Slot and his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, went right at Oliver on the field. That got them both red-carded. The game ended 2-2, stopping Liverpool from getting way ahead in the Premier League standings. Plus, Curtis Jones and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure got tossed after a fight after the game.
Even with that bad break, Liverpool’s now way ahead. They seem likely to win their second Premier League title soon.
FA Punishes Slot and Hulshoff
Slot and Hulshoff got two-game bans from the sidelines and were fined for their behavior. A group said their cases were “non-standard” because the bad behavior was so serious.
Oliver’s report made the situation sound terrible. He said Slot was confrontational and aggressive, accusing the ref of favoring Everton. Oliver said Slot told him, You’ve given them everything, and then sarcastically said, I hope you’re proud of that. The ref said Slot came back and said, If we don’t win the league, I’ll blame you. He also yelled at another ref, calling the officiating a disgrace.
Hulshoff supposedly also swore at Oliver, calling him names and saying he had given them everything.
Slot’s Side of It
Slot said he did it but argued about what he actually said. He claimed he said, “If we don’t win the league, I will have you to thank for that.” But the FA said Oliver’s version was right and that the different wording didn’t change anything.
Slot knew he messed up, saying he let his feelings get the best of him because he thought the calls went against Liverpool. He said sorry privately and publicly for what he did. However, he wanted his ban delayed so he and Hulshoff weren’t both gone at the same time. That was shot down.
The league people said that Slot, as Liverpool’s coach, is a role model and should be disciplined to set a good example for his players. They also said his actions didn’t help the image of the game. Since Slot and Hulshoff had clean records before, they didn’t get a three-game ban.
Hulshoff’s Take
Hulshoff also said his anger got to him but denied swearing directly at Oliver, which is what the ref reported. The commission’s decisions can be appealed.
Moving Forward
Before Liverpool’s big Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain, Slot said he wanted to move past this. He doesn’t want to add to the criticism Oliver’s already getting. The ref was recently criticized for not sending off Millwall’s goalie, Liam Roberts, for a risky play, a call that VAR later fixed.
Looking back, Slot said he should have handled things better. “I chose to go on the pitch instead of staying calm inside and then talking to Michael,” he said. “Now that I don’t have the same emotions anymore, I think I should set a better example than I did back then and not go into the situation again.”
Slot said the reports are clear and that he’s got his emotions under control now and doesn’t want to make things worse for the ref. Slot’s Blistering Referee Critique.
