‘We may see…’ – Ex-PGMOL chief warns Liverpool of more severe sanction after Slot’s blast of Oliver

Liverpool and other Premier League clubs have been warned that, in future, they could face more severe sanctions if their coaching staff fail to control their behaviour towards match officials on a consistent basis.

On Tuesday, an FA report published details of what Arne Slot and Sipke Hulshoff were alleged to have told Michael Oliver after the controversial Merseyside derby last month, with the Reds’ head coach and his assistant both given two-game touchline bans and fined £70,000 and £7,000 respectively for misconduct.

Both clubs also received fines for failing to ensure that their players and coaching staff didn’t behave ‘in a way which was improper and/or provocative’.

Liverpool warned of points deduction possibility for repeat offences

A former Premier League referee has called for a discontinuation of managers exchanging handshakes and conversation between their respective technical areas at the final whistle, and also warned that points deductions for clubs may need to be considered if fines prove to be an insufficient deterrent to confronting referees.

Ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett told Football Insider: “I would like to see referees at the final whistle moving towards the tunnel rather than standing in the middle looking for handshakes and any complimentary comments.

“This will, I feel, reduce any tensions that have built up in the game. I hope that the level of fines will receive a more controlled approach by the manager and his assistant. If these fines going forward do not have the desired effect, then we may see points deductions coming into play.

“The last time they used that sanction for an on-field mass confrontation was in the game between Manchester United and Arsenal (in 1990) where I was the man in the middle.”

Hopefully it never gets to that point

We obviously don’t condone any personal abuse of match officials, and coaching staff have a responsibility to keep their touchline behaviour respectful. Slot has acknowledged several times since the Merseyside derby that he should have ‘set a better example’ than confronting Oliver after the full-time whistle.

If managers are to be held accountable for their actions and have certain standards expected of them, the same goes for referees. The standard of officiating in general in this country is far from satisfactory, and the man in the middle at Goodison Park got two major decisions wrong that night.

We’d like to think that coaches will learn from their indiscretions when they’re charged with fines and touchline bans and modify their behaviour accordingly, as nobody wants to go down the road of points deductions for repeat offences.

On the topic of such a draconian punishment, perhaps it ought to be considered for clubs whose ‘fans’ habitually indulge in tragedy chanting, a scourge on football and society which is a hate crime and goes far beyond the acceptable realms of ‘banter’.

Hopefully Slot won’t find himself in hot water with the FA anymore, and also that the PGMOL will demand better standards from their match officials, who in turn will up their game to minimise the endless litany of controversies which abound at the highest level of the sport in the UK.

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