Jurgen Klopp offered a frank and forthright apology for the actions which have resulted in a fine and a two-match ban.
The Liverpool boss discovered his fate on Thursday after a public spat with referee Paul Tierney last month. The incident occurred during the Reds’ dramatic 4-3 win over Tottenham at Anfield with Diogo Jota bagging a last-gasp winner.
But in the aftermath of Jota’s winner, Klopp - angry about a perceived foul before Spurs’ equaliser - was seen celebrating in the face of fourth official John Brooks. Klopp was then given a booking by Tierney after consulting VAR, before the Kop boss ripped into the officials in the aftermath of the game.
“How they can give a foul on Mohamed Salah [before Spurs’ third goal]. We have our history with [Paul] Tierney, I really don’t know what he has against us, he has said there is no problems but that cannot be true,” he told Sky Sports after the final whistle.
Klopp has subsequently been charged with conducting post-match media which “constitutes improper conduct in that they imply bias, and/or question the integrity of the referee, and/or are personal/offensive, and/or bring the game into disrepute contrary to FA Rule E3.1."
And as well as releasing the audio transcript of the confrontation, the Football Association have disclosed the entire process which ultimately saw Klopp sanctioned. That included letters from both Liverpool and Klopp himself with an attempt to explain the situation.
The German boss profusely apologised to the officials, but did suggest the amount of Liverpool games Tierney had officiated, the emotional end to the game and a potential language issue all contributed to the issue.
The letter submitted on May 3, reads: “I want to start this submission with the most important sentiment I must express; I am sorry.
“I am sorry for my reaction in that immediate moment when I ran towards the fourth official, Mr Brooks and I fully accepted a caution was justified. I accepted that then and I accept now that a yellow card was correct.
“Equally I am sorry for some of the tone and content of my post-match interview. Although it was not my intention I accept now it appears that I was questioning Mr Tierney's integrity. I take ownership of this. On reflection, the words I used were inappropriate.
“Both of these incidents were driven by emotion. I was overly emotional at some of the decisions made, which then led to frustration and a feeling of unfairness. I carried that emotion into the mandated and time sensitive post-match press commitments.”
Klopp continues: “I do ask that you look at the comments I made in the following context; we are, as managers, contractually required to make ourselves available in a timely fashion. This doesn't readily allow for a more measured approach. Also, English is not my primary language and at times what I mean to say and how I say it can conflict.
"For the avoidance of doubt, I was trying to express how I felt whilst dealing with the frustration I was feeling around a number of decisions made during the game. It was about feelings and emotions. To be absolutely clear, I know that Mr. Tierney, along with all other officials, do their work without any preconceived bias or prejudice.
“Although not an excuse, I believe we have made up a high percentage of Mr Tierney's matches this season? Something in the region of 20% of the matches he has officiated have involved my team. I do not offer this as a defence, rather it is an observation and could be a reason for both the build-up of frustration governed by an inadvertent accumulation of incidents over an extended period.
“Hopefully you saw in my very next press conference (Tuesday 2nd May, 2023) I sought to clarify and correct any wrong conclusions drawn from the words I used in the interview on Sky Sports, which took place matter minutes after a tumultuous and highly dramatic game ended.”
Liverpool’s letter read: “At the time of Mr. Klopp's post-match media duties, emotions were running very high and he tried to articulate how he felt, which was that a large number of decisions open to debate against LFC have involved Mr Tierney.
“Mr. Klopp did not wish to suggest that Mr Tierney was dishonest, just that there were a long list of key decisions which he felt aggrieved by that have involved Mr Tierney. Mr Klopp is certainly not trying to suggest Mr Tierney is intentionally acting improperly against LFC.”
The FA fully accepted Klopp’s timely and sincere apology, but suggested that Klopp’s previous record, twinned with the severity of the incident in question meant a sanction had to be imposed.
“The Commission therefore accepts Mr. Klopp's apology, and recognises that he was speaking in the heat of the moment. Nevertheless, Mr Klopp is a high profile figure, who is required to lead by example. He has a history of breaches, most recently in November 2022.
"The assertions that Mr. Klopp made against Mr Tierney were unacceptable, ranging as they did beyond the immediate match.”
