Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been hit with a further one-game suspension and a £100,000 fine after accepting charges of improper conduct towards referee John Brooks in the aftermath of his red card against Newcastle United.
Van Dijk was given his marching orders in the first half of the game but, as the foul was checked by VAR, the Dutch defender could be seen berating Brooks and describing the decision as a “f**king joke”.
A one-game suspension for the initial red card was dished out and Van Dijk missed the 3-0 win over Aston Villa, but after audio of his exchange with Brooks was examined by the Football Association, he has now been hit with a further one-game ban.
An FA statement read: “The defender admitted that he acted in an improper manner and used abusive and insulting words towards a match official after being sent off in the 29th minute, and the sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent regulatory commission.
“Full written reasons for this case will be published in due course.”
Van Dijk will now miss Liverpool‘s trip to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on 16 September.
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During the international break, Van Dijk told a press conference that the incident was out of character for him.
“That was not typical for me but that was the red card anyway,” he said. “I’ve never got one before at Liverpool, and I think only about four times in my entire career. But apart from that I still started the season well.
“I feel good and strong. I think it went well against Chelsea and Bournemouth. Despite the red card, the start was fine. I cannot wait to return.”
Van Dijk’s suspension leaves manager Jurgen Klopp with an extra headache as the Dutchman’s usual partner, Ibrahima Konate, is still battling to overcome a hamstring injury which kept him out of Liverpool’s last two games and also forced him to withdraw from international duty.
Joe Gomez and Joel Matip were the starting pairing against Villa, with 20-year-old Jarell Quansah coming off the bench.
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