Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has been fined over an incident which occurred immediately after full-time in a recent Reds fixture.
Having conceded a harsh penalty in the 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest 12 days ago – a decision that the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has since deemed erroneous – the Brazilian took out his rage on the fourth official’s numbers board as he made his way back to the dressing room after the final whistle.
That particular piece of equipment had malfunctioned during the match, causing a delay to a triple substitution that Andoni Iraola wanted to make, much to the Basque’s annoyance.
On Thursday, the FA confirmed (via Liverpool Echo) that Alisson has been fined £8,000 for misconduct over his loss of temper after the match against Forest.
A statement from the governing body read: ‘It was alleged that the goalkeeper acted in an improper manner around the tunnel area after the final whistle. Alisson Becker has subsequently accepted the charge against him and received the standard penalty.’
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The amount of the fine is loose change for the Liverpool goalkeeper, and players do need to maintain certain standards regarding their behaviour, but it’s hard to blame the Reds’ number 1 for feeling so aggrieved in the heat of the moment that afternoon.
He was aghast over the penalty which was given against him for a foul on Neco Williams, and he’ll feel simultaneously vindicated and enraged at the KMI Panel’s subsequent conclusion that referee Sam Barrott got the decision wrong.
It seemed apt that the faulty numbers board would be the item to feel his wrath on a day that its inefficient operation prompted an angry reaction from Iraola, and it felt as though fate was doing its best to mock Liverpool that Saturday.
If players are to be held to a high standard for their conduct, then referees should also be expected to maintain a comparative threshold in how they go about their jobs, rather than constantly being let off the hook for blatant errors which are explained away by the authorities all too freely.
Alisson will pay his fine and get on with concentrating on the match against Fulham this coming weekend, but the whole situation just doesn’t sit right.
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