Liverpool manager, Arne Slot told referee Michael Oliver he would blame him if the club fail to win this season’s Premier League.
The Dutchman was shown a straight red card after he confronted Oliver and one of his assistant referees on the pitch following his side’s 2-2 Merseyside derby draw with Everton last month.
Slot was given a two-match ban and fined £70,000 by an independent Football Association commission after accepting a charge of acting in an improper manner and using insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards both the match referee and an assistant referee.
Oliver alleged Slot, while shaking the official’s hand, swore as he said: “If we don’t win the league, I’ll blame you”.
Slot disputed the alleged language used, claiming he instead said “If we don’t win the league, I will have you to thank for that”.
But the commission decided it was “more likely than not that Arne Slot used the language alleged by the referee and the FA”.
The FA argued the discrepancy didn’t make a material difference to the sanction because the words used still constituted Slot acting in an improper manner.
Slot accepted that, and did not dispute using another swear word as he called the assistant referee a “disgrace”.
