Arne Slot charged after Merseyside derby red card but will be in dugout for Wolves clash | OneFootball

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff have both been charged by the Football Association (FA) for being abusive to match officials in Wednesday's Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park.

Both clubs have also been charged with their players and/or technical area occupants behaving in an improper and/or provocative way following the final whistle after a scuffle broke out which led to Curtis Jones and Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure being sent off.

Slot approached referee Michael Oliver on the pitch at the final whistle and engaged in an intense handshake before being shown a red card, while Hulshoff was also subsequently dismissed for his behaviour.

However, the two men and the two clubs have until next week to respond to the charge, meaning Slot will be in the dugout for Sunday’s clash with Wolves.

A statement from the FA read: “Everton, Liverpool, Arne Slot and Sipke Hulshoff have been charged following the Premier League fixture between the clubs on Wednesday, 12 February.

“It is alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players and/or technical area occupants did not behave in an improper and/or provocative way following the final whistle.

“The Liverpool manager allegedly acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards both the match referee and an assistant referee after the match had finished.

“It is alleged that Liverpool’s assistant manager acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards a match official, which led to his dismissal. It is further alleged that he acted in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards a match official after being sent off.

“Everton, Liverpool, Arne Slot and Sipke Hulshoff have until next Wednesday, 19 February, to provide their respective responses.”

Arne Slot was sent off after the midweek Merseyside derby

The wording of the FA charge suggests that Hulshoff may be in for a more severe punishment than Slot due to his additional transgression of acting in an improper manner and/or using insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards a match official after the sending off.

The pair and both clubs have until Wednesday to provide their respective responses, after which the FA will have another three working days to respond to the reply, after which a hearing would be set up to decide the punishment.

That means this process could yet drag on for a couple more weeks. Slot has already publicly accepted he made a mistake having got caught up in the febrile atmosphere at Goodison Park.

“Emotions got the better of me. If I could do that differently, if I look back I would love to do that differently and I hope to do that differently next time," he told a press conference on Friday.

“I should have acted differently after the game but it's an emotional sport and sometimes individuals make wrong decisions and that's definitely what I did."