Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been handed a £45,000 fine by the FA for comments he made about the referee during the club’s 1-1 draw against West Ham earlier this month.
Following the game at the London Stadium, the German coach made comments about referee Kevin Friend that implied his decisions late into the game were influenced by a mistake he had made in the first half.
Sadio Mané opened the scoring for the Reds in the first half, however replays showed James Milner in an offside position in the build up to the goal.
Talking to Sky Sports, Klopp explained that he felt his side were denied decisions after the interval, saying:
We had good moments, coming through the channels and scored the goal, which I’ve now been told is offside.
This explains a little bit the second half, because I think the referee knew at half-time..
He knew it for sure at half-time, and then you saw a lot of strange situations. They were not decisive but just rhythm breakers. That obviously didn’t help us.
If I’ve made a mistake in the first half, I don’t want to open the gap even more as a human being.
Subsequently, Klopp has been charged with breaching FA Rule E3(1), which claims that he ‘questioned the integrity of the match referee and/or implied bias.’
