Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has hinted that the Premier League might consider introducing points sanctions for managers’ behavior, following Arne Slot’s clash with Michael Oliver.
Liverpool manager Slot expressed his displeasure at referee Oliver’s decision to allow James Tarkowski’s late equalizer for Everton in the Merseyside Derby back in February. The Dutchman was shown a red card after the final whistle at Goodison Park and subsequently received a two-match ban, which he will serve during his team’s next league game against Southampton.
“It happened a lot and the emotions got the better of me,” Slot admitted of his behavior. “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.”
Slot isn’t the only manager to have had a disagreement with officials this season; Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler and Nottingham Forest’s Nuno Espirito Santo were both sent off when their teams faced each other in September. Hackett has warned that more clashes between managers and referees could lead to new rules.
“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,” Hackett told Football Insider. “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.
“If these fines going forward do not have the desired effect then we may see points deductions coming into play. 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.”
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He recalled the infamous match where Arsenal were hit with a two-point deduction and United lost one point. However, despite Hackett’s conjecture, there’s no whisper from the Premier League corridors to suggest point penalties for such infractions are looming.
Slot wasn’t the only person to be punished after the Merseyside Derby, which left Curtis Jones out of action due to a red card ban along with Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure. Slot’s second-in-command Sipke Hulshoff also found himself out of commission, missing Liverpool’s subsequent league clash – the one where John Heitinga steered the Reds to a clear-cut 2-0 win against Newcastle.
A morale-boosting victory, indeed, thanks to goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, giving the Reds plenty to be chipper about before they square off for the Carabao Cup silverware against the same team.
Despite the sideline reshuffle, Slot’s time away from domestic dugout duty is far from over. He’s set to make his managerial return in the Champions League next, but he’ll sit out once more for Saturday’s skirmish with Southampton. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain awaits with Liverpool’s European faceoff at Parc des Princes just around the bend.
