Arne Slot will of course not be best pleased to be banned from the touchline for Liverpool’s next two games. The situation could have been a lot worse for the Reds’ head coach though.
Slot has been handed a two-game ban by the FA after accepting a charge following his sending-off against Everton. Assistant Sipke Hulshoff has also been suspended for the same length of time after his own red card at Goodison Park, with both Liverpool and the Toffees fined for failing to control their players.
John Heitinga will take charge of the Reds for today’s game against Newcastle at Anfield, as well as next month’s meeting with Southampton. Slot and Hulshoff’s bans do not carry over to European games, meaning they will be in the dugout for Liverpool’s last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next week.
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Having their head coach sat in the stands will come as a blow for Liverpool’s players against Newcastle today, especially as the Reds move closer to securing the Premier League title. Slot though might be thankful that the FA has handed down the ban now.
According to The Athletic, Slot and Hulshoff learned of their punishments on Tuesday night, just hours before today’s encounter with Eddie Howe’s side. While far from ideal, had it been left any later, Liverpool would have been presented with a nightmare scenario for next month’s Carabao Cup final.
Slot and Hulshoff’s bans would have carried over to the domestic cup competitions, meaning both could have been forced to sit in the stands at Wembley as they looked for their first piece of silverware in charge of the club.
The pair though will be able to take their usual places on the bench for the final, with the bans ending just in time for them to return for the next meeting with Newcastle.
Liverpool might also be glad that the suspensions weren’t enforced any earlier, with Slot able to lead his side from the touchline for Sunday’s 2-0 win over Manchester City. That victory displayed a tactical masterclass from the Reds boss against Pep Guardiola’s side as they opened up an 11-point lead over Arsenal in the title race.
A statement from The FA said: “It was alleged that the Liverpool head coach acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards both the match referee and an assistant referee after the match had finished. Arne Slot admitted the charge, and the Regulatory Commission imposed a two-match touchline suspension and £70,000 fine.”
