Despite their eventual come from behind victory against Newcastle United, it was still frustrating to have captain Virgil van Dijk ejected from the pitch for his first ever red card at Liverpool. The red card for fouling a player in the box and impeding a goalscoring opportunity resulted in a one game ban. Van Dijk missed Liverpool’s 3-0 victory against Aston Villa as a result.
However, van Dijk dug himself deeper following the decision by arguing with referee John Brooks on the pitch. After the match, the FA hit him with an improper conduct ruling. Van Dijk had a week to rebut the claim.
The fear was that the charge would cause van Dijk to miss additional games, and that is the case. It was announced that he will miss Liverpool’s next match against Wolves and is fined £100,000 for the offense.
The official statement reads: “Virgil van Dijk has been suspended for one match and fined £100,000 for breaching FA Rule E3.1 during Liverpool’s Premier League fixture against Newcastle United on Sunday 27 August.
“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.”
With the series of unlucky events that Liverpool have faced in the opening four games of the season, it’s very lucky that they’ve had an easy schedule to start this campaign. Somehow, despite two players receiving sending-offs in two of their four matches, the Reds still collected 10 out of a possible 12 points.
Barring any unforeseen events, van Dijk will be available for selection for their first Europa League game against LASK Linz in Austria on Thursday, September 21st. Then his Premier League ban will also be over the following Sunday when Liverpool take on West Ham United.
