1 week ago
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Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Slot is expected on the touchline again against Aston Villa despite a likely two-match ban due to comments made to Michael Oliver in the Everton draw.
Following Everton’s late equalizer last week in the eighth minute of five awarded minutes of stoppage time, with many believing Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté had been fouled in the buildup, Liverpool manager Arne Slot confronted referee Michael Oliver.
The result was a red card—with reds also handed out to assistant Sipke Hulshoff, Liverpool player Curtis Jones, and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure in the post-match scrum as Oliver lost control of the match—with expectation of a two-match ban, something the FA made a since-deleted statement on.
However, Slot was on the touchline against Wolves on the weekend and is expected to be there again when the Reds take on Aston Villa on the road tonight as the non-standard nature of his charged offence means there will be a hearing before any ban.
That hearing can’t take place until Slot responds to the charge, which he hasn’t yet and has until the end of today, February 19th, to do. The FA then have three days to respond to the club, and once they have—assuming they wish to press ahead with the charge—a hearing will be held within ten days.
While Slot and Liverpool appear to be taking the maximum allotted time to respond, the FA could issue their subsequent response and then schedule a hearing without taking the full allotment of time allowed to them. Still, those events likely would take some time.
If the FA are quick about it and Slot gets a touchline ban, it’s possible it could go into effect for Manchester City on Sunday. The timeline, though, is tight—which may be Liverpool’s intention, with the club potentially angling to ensure a ban won’t start until next Wednesday’s Newcastle match.
