Jurgen Klopp’s poor disciplinary record and his failure to heed previous conduct warnings were aggravating factors which led to the Liverpool manager receiving a two-match touchline ban for implying bias by referee Paul Tierney. Klopp was fined £75,000 and will not be in the technical area for their final Premier League home game of the campaign against Aston Villa on Saturday but the second match of his punishment has been suspended until the end of next season. The German admitted a charge of improper conduct in that his comments about Tierney implied bias, questioned the integrity of the referee and brought the game into disrepute. Klopp, who was booked for celebrating in the face of fourth official John Brooks after Diogo Jota’s added-time goal in the 4-3 win over Tottenham last month, suggested in post-match interviews what Tierney had said to him in issuing the caution was “not OK” and went on to add “we have our story, history, with Mr Tierney. I really don’t know what this man has with us”. The independent disciplinary commission, in its written reasons, said the Professional Game Match Officials Limited viewed Klopp’s comments as an “unwarranted attack on Mr Tierney’s integrity” and so immediately issued a statement in defence of the official. Klopp later apologised, clarifying his words and denying he had questioned Tierney’s integrity and while that, and his letter to the commission, were deemed “considerable mitigation” it was his history which counted against him. “Mr Klopp has a poor record for disciplinary offences, having appeared before commissions on three occasions in the past five years,” said the commission in its written reasons. “In November 2022 in an appeal in which two members of the present commission sat, Mr Klopp received a touchline ban, a fine and a warning. “Those sanctions plainly failed to deter Mr Klopp from committing nine similar breaches of the rules. Mr Klopp is a high-profile individual in the football world. He must have known that what he said would attract widespread publicity. “He should have realised that it was incumbent on him to restrain himself and to behave properly. “The statements that Mr Klopp made/adopted were not limited to comments on the immediate match, but extended to allegations of persistent bias against a blameless referee. “The intense media interest that followed Mr Klopp’s remarks was highly damaging.” Klopp created a problem for himself when he charged down the touchline following Jota’s goal after Tottenham’s 90th-minute equaliser had cancelled out Liverpool’s earlier 3-0 lead. From evidence obtained from the officials’ audio, Brooks told Tierney “Jurgen Klopp has just run and celebrated in my face. I think it’s a yellow card mate, minimum”. To be absolutely clear, I know that Mr Tierney, along with all other officials, do their work without any pre-conceived bias or prejudice Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on referee Paul Tierney VAR backed up Brooks’ opinion and in booking Klopp, Tierney said: “I have to show you yellow… it could be red, but I am going to show you yellow. We will give you the benefit of the doubt, don’t do anything more.” Those were the comments Klopp deemed “not OK” but it was not his behaviour on the pitch which produced the disciplinary charge but the aspersions he cast at Tierney, which he subsequently withdrew in a press conference a couple of days later and in a letter of apology to the commission. Liverpool, in their own letter, stressed Klopp may have misunderstood Tierney and “they do not believe that Mr Tierney purposely gives decisions against LFC and that any suggestion that Mr Tierney was biased or not wholly impartial was totally unintended. “Mr Klopp did not wish to suggest that Mr Tierney was dishonest, just that there were a long list of key decisions which he felt aggrieved by that have involved Mr Tierney. “Both LFC and Jurgen Klopp regret that his comments have become a story in themselves and that there has been any question mark cast over Mr Tierney’s impartiality – that was not intended.” Klopp spelled out his regret in his own letter, saying: “Although it was not my intention I accept now it appears that I was questioning Mr Tierney’s integrity. I take ownership of this. On reflection, the words I used were inappropriate. “To be absolutely clear, I know that Mr Tierney, along with all other officials, do their work without any pre-conceived bias or prejudice. “Although not an excuse, I believe we have made up a high percentage of Mr Tierney’s matches this season? Something in the region of 20 per cent of the matches he has officiated have involved my team. “I do not offer this as a defence, rather it is an observation and could be a reason for both the build-up of frustration governed by an inadvertent accumulation of incidents over an extended period.”

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David Brooks does not want to be picked on sentiment on his return to the Wales stage. Brooks is back in the Wales squad for Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier at home to Armenia – the first time he has featured for the Dragons since October 2021 when he was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty. The 25-year-old winger announced he was cancer-free in May last year and returned to club action for Bournemouth in March, starting the Cherries’ final two Premier League games. Brooks signed a new four-year Bournemouth deal last August and says he must be chosen for Wales on merit. “I was out of contract this year before I signed my new one,” Brooks said. “Even before talks had kicked in I wanted to make it clear I wasn’t there for sympathy. “I don’t want to be there if I’m not going to play or wasn’t in the plans. “Once they saw me training and how I was determined to get back to, I did earn what I was given. “It’s the same with Wales. I don’t just want to be called up to be a spare part. I’m working hard to get back in the Bournemouth XI and be starting for Wales as well.” Brooks underwent chemotherapy treatment following his cancer diagnosis, the draining effects of which he has said left him with night sweats, weight loss and struggling to climb the stairs. Now he is close to peak playing condition – “I probably need to change a bit of the fat to muscle” – and says that returning to the Wales camp where he was diagnosed was a “very nice feeling”. Brooks said: “The first step after the treatment was to get back into the Bournemouth dressing room and be part of that. “As soon as that was completed, to get back in the Wales set up was the aim. The lads have welcomed me with open arms.” On meeting up with Wales’ chief medical officer, Jonathan Houghton, who detected that Brooks’ had cancer symptoms, Brooks said: “I do owe him a lot, he’s obviously done a lot for us. It’s always nice to see him. “Whenever my mum and dad see him they burst out crying and give him a big hug. I can’t thank him enough. “Getting that awful news drops and crushes your world, at that moment you hope it will get better and go back to normal at some point.” Brooks won the last of his 21 Wales caps against Denmark at the delayed 2020 European Championship in June 2021. His perspective on life might have changed in that time, with Brooks saying “he did not have a single care about football” when he was diagnosed “as I just wanted still be on Earth”. But Brooks said: “I just love playing football and so as soon as I got the diagnosis, that was snatched away in the blink of an eye. “But it’s not the end of the world if you don’t end up playing football. Football is not life or death, the main thing is being happy and healthy. “My ambitions haven’t changed. I still want to try and get to the very top. “The hunger and drive is the same for all the lads. We all have the same goal of reaching the Euros, the World Cup – that’s what everyone wants to play in. “There’s a lot of new faces, people I’ve not met prior to this camp, and a lot of new staff. “But the brief time I’ve worked with them over the past week, we’re all pushing in the same direction and trying to achieve the same goal.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jon Rahm looking forward to US Open test that has ‘everything’ Steve Smith holds fond memories of Edgbaston as he prepares for Ashes battle Michael van Gerwen down in the mouth over World Cup absence

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Lando Norris has called for stronger punishments to be dished out for blocking other drivers after Max Verstappen escaped grid sanctions at the Singapore Grand Prix. Verstappen was under three separate investigations following qualifying – one for stopping at the pit lane exit, one for impeding Logan Sargeant and another for getting in the way of Yuki Tsunoda in Q2 – but only received a 5,000 euros (£4,308) fine. Norris believes that more responsibility should be placed on the driver to avoid such incidents. “I think the blocking one on track should have been a penalty,” Norris said ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. “If you block someone, it is not just down to the team – I know the team got a fine – but it should be down to the driver as well. “You have to look in your mirrors. You have nothing else to do the whole lap but look in your mirrors and it seems like a lot of people struggle to do that. “There should be harsher penalties for blocking. So many people do it. “It ruins your lap, ruins your qualifying. It put Yuki out in qualifying, he was P1 in Q1. “Nobody seems to care enough. It has happened a lot this season, it has happened to me quite a few times – especially with certain teams – but it is down to the driver to look in the mirror. “I will probably block someone this weekend now and make myself look stupid.” There should be harsher penalties for blocking. So many people do it Lando Norris Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were both among the cars held up by Verstappen’s wait at the pit exit and the seven-time world champion says there has to be more consistency in the decision making. “I didn’t really see them, I was in the pit lane when everyone stopped and I couldn’t see what was happening ahead,” Hamilton said. “We always push and work as closely as we can with the FIA to achieve consistency and there are some variations so we have to continue to work on that.” Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who also held up, added: “I was a bit surprised (there was not a stronger penalty), especially with the one in the pit lane as that could open some quite bad situations in the future. “It is always an open discussion with the FIA, trying to explain what our point of view is. I am sure we will have that discussion at the briefing.” Verstappen, who arrives in Japan with a 151-point lead in the drivers’ championship, feels that every incident has to be judged individually by the stewards. He said: “Every single instance is different. “The only thing I can say about Singapore is that I explained what happened when I was sitting in the car and the information that was given to me. “That is all I can do and it is up to the stewards to make that call.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lance Stroll to sit out Singapore Grand Prix after huge crash in qualifying ‘You can forget about that’ – Max Verstappen rules out another win in Singapore Lance Stroll crashes into barrier at 110mph in Singapore Grand Prix qualifying

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