 "Liverpool boss Arne Slot's rant to referee Michael Oliver revealed: 'If we don't win the league, I'll blame you'")
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been accused of threatening to pin the blame on referee Michael Oliver in an expletive-laden rant to the official if the current leaders failed to win their second Premier League title at the end of the season.
Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff had been shown red cards by Oliver after confronting the referee on the pitch during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw in their stormy ‘Merseyside Derby’ meeting with Everton on 12 February.
James Tarkowski scored the Toffees’ equaliser deep into stoppage-time, with Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure sent off for scuffling after the final whistle.
Slot and Hulshoff were given two-match touchline suspensions and fined for their behaviour by an independent regulatory commission.
The panel received a copy of Oliver’s match report in which he alleged a “confrontational and aggressive” Slot had told the official that he had “given them everything” and he hoped he “was proud of that performance”.
Slot makes a different claim on his rant to Oliver
Oliver claimed Slot returned to continue the X-rated blast, saying: “If we don’t win the league, I’ll blame you.”
Slot admitted the charges but insisted he said: “If we don’t win the league, I will have you to thank for that”.
The FA maintained Slot’s language and words were as reported by Oliver and that the discrepancy did not make a material difference to the sanction.
Another angle of Arne Slot's red card tonight...
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025
What did he say to Michael Oliver 🤝 pic.twitter.com/qzR376WKUw
Slot accepted his behaviour was unacceptable and that he had allowed frustration to get the better of him as he believed key decisions had not gone Liverpool’s way at Goodison Park.
The 46-year-old Dutchman, who served the first game of his ban in last week’s win against Newcastle, has since apologised to Oliver in private and public.
“Arne Slot is a role model and should be exercising good discipline both on and off the pitch, and setting an example to his players” and his actions “did not provide the positive image of the game that the governing bodies strive for”," the commission said.
Despite their dropped points at Everton, Liverpool are now 13 points clear of second-placed Arsenal as they close in on a record-equalling 20th English title.
They are back in action in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
With AFP inputs
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