Premier League: Jurgen Klopp hit with £45,000 fine for 'questioning the integrity' of referee after West Ham draw

London: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was fined £45,000 ($59,000) by the Football Association on Thursday for suggesting referee Kevin Friend had favoured West Ham in his side’s 1-1 draw at the London Stadium earlier this month. [caption id=“attachment_5711141” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jurgen Klopp. Reuters[/caption] Klopp, whose side are currently second on goal difference in the Premier League behind Manchester City, said he thought Friend realised he should have ruled out Sadio Mane’s 22nd-minute opener as James Milner was clearly offside in the build-up and tried to make up for it over the remainder of the game. “Jurgen Klopp has been fined £45,000 after accepting an FA charge for comments made following Liverpool’s league game against West Ham United on 4 February 2019,” the FA said in a statement. “His comments made during a post-match interview breached FA Rule E3(1), as they questioned the integrity of the match referee and/or implied bias.” In December, Klopp was fined £8,000 after he charged onto the pitch to hug goalkeeper Alisson Becker following his side’s late derby win against Everton at Anfield.