Coach Klopp hinted not to pay the fine
On May 18, the FA banned Klopp from directing two matches and paid a fine of nearly 100,000 USD (£75,000) for comments directed at referee Paul Tierney after the 4-3 victory over Tottenham at Anfield on April 30. At that time, the German coach thought that Tierney was unfair and forced Liverpool.
On May 19, at the press conference before the match against Aston Villa in the 37th round of the Premier League, Klopp admitted that he was not surprised by the penalty but would talk again with the FA if the purpose of the fine. "I want to know where that money is going," he said. "I am ready to pay a fine if there is a good reason. And if the FA keeps this money, then we have to talk again."
According to British newspaper Sunsport, the FA declined to respond to Klopp's comment, but normally this non-profit organization will reinvest the fines into football.
Also according to the disciplinary notice on May 18, Klopp was only banned from directing the match against Aston Villa, and the remaining match was suspended until the end of the 2023-2024 season with the condition that he did not repeat the offense. Therefore, the 55-year-old coach will return in the closing match of the Premier League at Southampton on May 28. Liverpool are currently fifth with 55 points, one point behind Man Utd and four points behind Newcastle.
Klopp admitted he was thinking about a heavier penalty and will watch the match against Aston Villa from the stands, and communicate with the assistant team by phone. He also joked that he could shout loudly from the stands to directly direct the students. "Nobody would scream like me if Liverpool hadn't backed off in the 70th minute or something like that," Klopp said. "I sit far away but if the game isn't good, I can make a difference. At least my voice is fine."
Klopp will be allowed to go down to Anfield after the game, where at least four Liverpool players will play their final home game. In midweek, the Merseyside club announced that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino would leave the club when their contracts expire in June 2023.
Klopp hailed the four players as Liverpool legends, adding: "We love them, but in professional football nothing lasts forever. There are always moments like that, and those are the moments. beautifully engraved. One chapter will close and we will begin a new one. We will not forget them and I will be forever grateful to them."
Klopp confirmed Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Calvin Ramsay, Naby Keita, Darwin Nunez are absent due to injury, Roberto Firmino can play and wants to keep the two reserve goalkeepers Adrian, Caoimhin Kelleher.
