The Football Association (FA) has charged Everton, Liverpool, and Reds head coach Arne Slot following the chaotic conclusion to Wednesday’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Both clubs face charges for failing to ensure their players “did not behave in an improper and/or provocative manner” after the final whistle.
Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Slot has been accused of acting “in an improper manner and/or using insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour” towards referee Michael Oliver and his assistant, leading to his red card. His assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, who was also dismissed, faces similar charges for his conduct before and after being sent off.
The clubs, Slot, and Hulshoff have until Wednesday, February 19, to respond to the charges.
The controversy erupted after Everton’s James Tarkowski netted a dramatic 98th-minute equalizer, which was confirmed following a VAR check. Liverpool players strongly protested, insisting the goal should have been disallowed due to an alleged foul by Everton striker Beto on defender Ibrahima Konaté.
Tensions escalated further when Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure celebrated in front of Liverpool supporters, prompting a confrontation with Reds midfielder Curtis Jones. Both players received second yellow cards and were sent off.
Slot and Hulshoff were subsequently shown red cards after approaching referee Oliver on the pitch.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Slot admitted, “Emotions got the better of me,” and acknowledged he should have handled the situation differently.
The draw saw Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points, while Everton climbed to 15th place, 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
Despite the incident, Slot is expected to be on the touchline for Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Wolves at Anfield on Sunday (14:00 GMT).
Initially, the Premier League website reported that Slot had received a two-match ban for using offensive, insulting, or abusive language, but the post was later removed, with reports attributing the error to a mistake in communication.
SOURCE: BBC
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