Liverpool head coach Arne Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff have both been charged by the Football Association with being abusive to match officials in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park.
Both clubs have also been charged with failing to prevent their players and/or technical area occupants behaving in a improper and/or provocative way following the final whistle after a scuffle broke out which led to Curtis Jones and Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure being sent off.
Slot approached referee Michael Oliver on the pitch at the final whistle and was shown a red card, with Hulshoff also subsequently dismissed.
According to the Football Association, the Liverpool head coach “allegedly acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards both the match referee and an assistant referee after the match had finished”.
It is also alleged Hulshoff “acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards a match official”, while it is further alleged he “acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards a match official after being sent off”.
Slot, Hulshoff and both clubs have until Wednesday to provide their respective responses, which means Slot will be able to sit in the dugout for Sunday’s visit of Wolves.
Slot has already publicly accepted he made a mistake having got caught up in the febrile atmosphere of the 2-2 draw in the final derby at Goodison Park after James Tarkowski scored an equaliser in the 98th minute.
“Emotions got the better of me. If I could do that differently, if I look back I would love to do that differently and I hope to do that differently next time,” he told a press conference on Friday.
“I should have acted differently after the game but it’s an emotional sport and sometimes individuals make wrong decisions and that’s definitely what I did.”
