Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has been handed an additional one-match ban and a £100k fine for his reaction to his sending off against Newcastle at St James’ Park last month
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Virgil van Dijk has claimed he “accepts” the extended ban handed to him by the FA after his Newcastle red card.
The Liverpool captain was dismissed during the Reds’ dramatic 2-1 win at St James’ Park two weeks’ ago. He was handed his marching orders for a last-man foul on Alexander Isak before launching into a tirade at referee John Brooks.
His furious reaction continued down the tunnel. There were some calls from Van Dijk to face an extended ban as a result, something that the FA have agreed with.
A statement released on Friday afternoon read: “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.”
The Dutchman is set to miss next weekend’s clash with Wolves at Molineux, whilst he has also been forced to pay a £100k fine. Van Dijk has since responded to that further punishment with a short statement on his social media accounts.
It read: “Following the announcement today I’d just like to make clear I totally accept the panel’s decision. It was the first red card of my Liverpool career and I let my frustrations get the better of me in an intense and heated moment.
Virgil van Dijk is sent off vs Newcastle (
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“I apologised immediately after the game to the match officials and take full responsibilty. Time to move forward now. I will continue supporting the team in every way I can.”
Van Dijk’s latest account follows his attempts at explaining the incident. Whilst on international duty, he claimed that his reaction was out of character.
He said: “That was not typical for me but that was the red card anyway. I’ve never got one before at Liverpool, and I think only about four times in my entire career. But apart from that I still started the season well.
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“I feel good and strong. I think it went well against Chelsea and Bournemouth. Despite the red card, the start was fine. I cannot wait to return.”
Liverpool did not appear to miss Van Dijk during their most recent outing having eased past Aston Villa 3-0 at Anfield. Joe Gomez and Joel Matip accounted for the Reds’ central defensive partnership against the Midlanders.
The pair are expected to continue against Wolves, with Ibrahima Konate still making his return from injury. Van Dijk’s next opportunity to appear for Liverpool will come in Liverpool’s Europa League group stage opener against LASK before they then take on West Ham in the Premier League.
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