Arne Slot Faces Touchline Ban After Fiery Merseyside Derby

Arne Slot sees red after a heated clash with the referee, Curtis Jones gets involved in a post-match brawl, and Liverpool faces a big FA charge.

February 13, 2025
3:01 pm

Liverpool boss Arne Slot might be facing a two-match touchline ban after getting a red card following his team’s 1-1 draw with Everton on Wednesday night. He and his assistant, Spike Hulshoff, were upset with referee Michael Oliver after James Tarkowski’s late equalizer, which Liverpool thought should’ve been disallowed for a foul. VAR backed the goal, leading to some heated protests from the Liverpool bench.

Slot’s red card came in a strange way—after shaking Oliver’s hand, he was quickly shown the card. The Premier League first said Slot used “offensive, insulting or abusive language,” which would mean an automatic two-match ban. But then, in a weird twist, that statement was taken down from the league’s website, leaving everyone confused about whether it was a mistake. Mirror Football says the FA will check the referee’s report before deciding on any punishment.

Because of the ban, Slot couldn’t do his post-match media duties, so first-team coach Jonny Heitinga stepped in. If both Slot and Hulshoff are suspended, Heitinga will lead the team against Wolves on Sunday and possibly Aston Villa on Wednesday.

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To make things worse for Liverpool, Curtis Jones was also sent off after a heated exchange with Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure. Doucoure seemed to taunt the Liverpool fans after the final whistle, which led to Jones shoving him. With all the drama, Liverpool could face an FA charge for not controlling their players, according to FA Rule E.20. Plus, Premier League rules say clubs with six or more yellow or red cards in a match get fined. With yellows for Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, and a double booking for Jones—plus red cards for Slot and Hulshoff—the Reds could be looking at a £25,000 fine.

Despite all this chaos, Liverpool still managed to extend their lead over Arsenal at the top of the table to seven points. However, captain Virgil van Dijk was not happy with how the referee handled things, blaming Doucoure for the late drama.

“This is their cup final,” Van Dijk said. “Doucoure wanted to provoke our fans, Curtis reacted, and it all escalated from there. I told the referee he didn’t have control of the game, and I stand by that.”

With the FA’s decision still up in the air, Liverpool now has to gear up for some important matches without their head coach in the dugout—a big hit for their Premier League title hopes.