Arne Slot has pledged to remain calm with officials after receiving a two-game touchline ban in the Premier League for an alleged expletive-laden outburst.
The Liverpool manager was handed a red card, a £70,000 fine, and a suspension after reportedly telling referee Michael Oliver, “If we don’t win the league, I’ll f*ing blame you,” following last month’s 2-2 draw with Everton.
Slot disputed the exact wording but admitted to calling one of the assistant referees a “f*ing disgrace.”
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League last-16 clash with PSG, Slot reflected on his actions:
*”As I stated in the written report, and I’ll say again, at that moment, I was emotional about everything that had happened in the last seven or eight minutes, maybe even throughout the whole game. I chose to go onto the pitch instead of staying inside and discussing it calmly with Michael.
“Now that the emotions have settled, I realize I need to set a better example and not put myself in that situation again.”*
Slot avoided further controversy by refusing to comment on Oliver’s latest officiating decision—initially showing only a yellow card to Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts for a dangerous tackle on Jean-Philippe Mateta.
“Michael has been in the news a lot recently, and I don’t think it helps if I add anything more now that I have my emotions under control,” Slot said.
The FA also claimed Slot told Oliver, “You f*ing give them everything” and sarcastically suggested the referee “must be proud of that performance.” Slot accepted his actions were unacceptable and issued a sincere apology, both privately and publicly.
The FA commission acknowledged his remorse and reduced his fine from £100,000. Slot’s assistant coach, Sipke Hulshoff, was also handed a two-match touchline ban and fined £7,000 for allegedly confronting Oliver in an “extremely aggressive manner.”
