Jurgen Klopp has been handed a two-game touchline ban and a fine of £75,000 due to his comments after a match against Tottenham. The full conversation between the referee Paul Tierney, fourth official John Brooks, and Klopp has now been disclosed in a report. According to the report, John Brooks said to Tierney, “Jurgen Klopp has just run and celebrated in my face. I think it’s a yellow card mate, minimum.” Tierney responded that he had not seen what happened and needed advice whether the sanction should be a yellow or red card. The Video Assistant Referee reviewed the video footage and advised confirming yellow card. Tierney then showed Klopp a yellow card and said, “Right…I have to show you yellow…it could be red, but I am going to show you yellow. He said yellow. We will give you the benefit of the doubt, don’t do anything more.”
Klopp had questioned “what this man has against us” in reference to Tierney, and it is this implication of bias that got him in trouble after his actions on the field. As part of the FA’s investigation, Klopp did submit a letter and expressed that he was “sorry for my reaction” and “fully accepted a caution was justified,” acknowledging his words about Tierney were “inappropriate.” The manager will now serve the first match of his two-game touchline ban against Aston Villa on Saturday, but the second is suspended until the end of next season on the condition he does not commit any further breaches. He will be permitted onto the field for the post-match farewells.