Liverpool Fined £25k by FA for “Ill-Discipline” in Tottenham Defeat

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Unlike catastrophic officiating errors leading to a loss, some things apparently can’t be waved away with a mealy mouthed non-apology.

Down to nine men following two highly contestable sendings off and with a clearly legal, onside goal wrongly chalked off due to what may be the biggest officiating error of the VAR era in the Premier League, most would likely have commended the reaction of Liverpool’s players following their eventual 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.

Despite the highly testing circumstances on display in Saturday’s bullshit buffet, the Reds handled themselves impeccably. Or at least appeared to have, with no players surrounding or berating the officials and neither Curtis Jones nor Diogo Jota protesting their sendings off. The Reds simply did their best at getting on with things.

That wasn’t enough to stop the club being handed a £25k fine by the FA for “ill-discipline” as they collected more than six cards. Between Jones’ upgraded red, Jota’s two yellows, and yellows for Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, and assistant manager Peter Krawietz they had eight.

The penalty is automatic and will not result in an FA hearing or statement, though there has been some speculation—mostly from those obviously trying to stoke engagement by riling up Liverpool fans—that post-match statements like Mac Allister’s since-deleted comment about facing “12 men” on social media could lead to more.

Given the mealy mouthed non-apology—admitting “significant human error” but never actually apologizing—offered by the PGMOL and suggestions in the wake of Saturday’s colossal cock-up that Liverpool should simply get on with it, it will be interesting to see if the FA have the nerve to push for any other charges.