Liverpool have been warned they could face points deductions in the future if manager confrontations with referees continue, following Arne Slot’s clash with Michael Oliver after the Merseyside derby.
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has suggested the Premier League might consider introducing points sanctions for managers’ behaviour if current punishments fail to curb touchline incidents.
The Liverpool manager received a two-match touchline ban after confronting referee Oliver following James Tarkowski’s 98th-minute equaliser in the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park last month.
It’s alleged that Slot, while shaking Oliver’s hand, said: “If we don’t win the league, I’ll [expletive] blame you.” The Dutchman felt Beto had pushed Ibrahima Konate in the build-up to Tarkowski’s goal.
“It happened a lot and the emotions got the better of me,” Slot admitted about his behaviour. “If I could do it differently, if I look back at it, I would love to do it differently. I would do it differently next time as well.”
Hackett, speaking to Football Insider, warned that more clashes between managers and officials could prompt stricter regulations.
“I would like to see referees at the final whistle moving towards the tunnel rather than standing in the middle looking for handshakes and any complimentary comments,” said Hackett.
“This will I feel reduce any tensions that have built up in the game. I hope that the level of fines will receive a more controlled approach by the manager and his assistant.”
The former referee suggested that if financial penalties don’t work, more severe sanctions could follow.
“If these fines going forward do not have the desired effect then we may see points deductions coming into play,” Hackett continued. “The last time they used that sanction for an on-field mass confrontation was in the game between Manchester United v Arsenal in the 1990s where I was the man in the middle.”
That infamous incident led to Arsenal receiving a two-point deduction while Manchester United were docked one point.
Slot isn’t the only Premier League manager to have clashed with officials this season. Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Nottingham Forest’s Nuno Espirito Santo were both sent off when their teams met in September.
The possibility of points deductions adds a new dimension to the title race, with Liverpool currently competing with Arsenal and others for Premier League glory.
Despite Hackett’s warning, there has been no indication from Premier League authorities that such penalties are being considered at this time.
Slot will complete his two-match touchline ban when Liverpool face Southampton this weekend, having already missed their 2-0 victory against Newcastle United.
