Premier League to make statement with Liverpool points deduction decision

Premier League to make statement with Liverpool points deduction decision

There has been plenty of talk around Liverpool being handed a points deduction for what happened at the end of the Merseyside Derby

There have been countless occasions in the past of managers striding onto the pitch to confront a referee about a big decision that went against their team or a supposed mistake that has been made that has cost them points.

And perhaps the argument is there that this needs to stop at some point and what better way to do it than by handing out a points deduction to a high-profile team? I just can’t see it happening, however.

The suggestion came from former top flight referee Keith Hackett, who, in an interview with Football Insider, said: “If these fines going forward do not have the desired effect then we may see points deductions coming into play. The last time they used that sanction for an on-field mass confrontation was in the game between Manchester United vs Arsenal (in the 1990s) where I was the man in the middle.”

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Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca has been handed a nine-month touchline ban after squaring up to referee Benoit Millot, going head-to-head with the official and shouting in his face as he went to review a penalty incident.

What Fonseca did was far more serious than Slot and he has been handed a nine-month ban, with no talk of a points deduction taking place. The French Professional Football League is different to the Premier League of course and England’s law makers will have their own opinions.

If the Premier League want to make a statement, handing Slot’s Liverpool a one or two-point deduction would certainly do that. But it would send shockwaves across the English top flight for an incident that pales in comparison (the players’ fracas after the final whistle excluded) to others down the years and would certainly leave a bitter taste in the mouth.