Jurgen Klopp admitted at the first opportunity that his actions towards the refereeing team during Liverpool’s draw with Manchester City were wrong.
It appears the German will be available for the upcoming West Ham United meeting despite his dismissal at Anfield, a decision that apparently baffled former Premier League referee Peter Walton, who called for a more serious punishment in his latest article with The Times.
Peter Walton on Jurgen Klopp [@thetimes] #LFC
????️ “Jurgen Klopp… apologized for his behavior. But that’s not enough, he must be punished properly.” pic.twitter.com/PdvAiOlowN
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) October 18, 2022
We can understand the position taken by the 63-year-old given his history, however, while there is more than a grain of truth to his latest claims, the logic is flawed.
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The quality of officials and their decision making must be questioned and now this part is absolutely critical, it must be addressed with genuine action to improve the landscape.
We have seen little evidence of such a determination to raise the standard in the English top flight with the inconsistency that continues to reign week after week.
We have to make this absolutely clear: players should not gang up on referees and coaches should not pressure them either. That should be a reality from grassroots football.
Obviously, respect for officials is at an all time low. While we take the time to acknowledge the role played by other professionals involved in the game, we must also address a root cause in the actions of officials on the pitch and at Stockley Park.
If we are allowed to question how coaches behave on the touchline, why shouldn’t we be allowed to direct the same towards those who can also influence results on the pitch?
Why aren’t more questions asked of Anthony Taylor, who was not in control of arguably the biggest game on the calendar, a fact on which both Klopp and Pep Guardiola agreed?
Walton is absolutely right to call for greater protection for his former teammates, but that shouldn’t come at the cost of a climate of indifference when it comes to the quality of officiating.
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