Following his red card against Newcastle, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk disregarded instructions from referee John Brooks as he exited the field.
Liverpool’s 32-year-old defender was sent off in the second half of their 2-1 triumph at St. James’ Park for pulling down Alexander Isak, preventing the attacker from getting through on goal. After the Dutchman committed the foul, the referee, Brooks, had no doubts and went into his pocket to pull out a red card.
VAR re-evaluated the play but ultimately upheld Brooks’ on-field call, forcing the Reds to play for more than an hour with ten men. Liverpool trailed 1-0 after Van Dijk was sent off, but a pair of goals from Darwin Nunez in stoppage time helped them come back and win the game 2-1.
One may assume that Van Dijk was not happy with his red card. The Dutch international player was overheard calling Brooks’s decision a “f***ing joke.” Before Jurgen Klopp interfered, Van Dijk headed down the tunnel after what seemed like an argument with fourth official Craig Pawson.
After almost 10 days, on the first installment of the monthly series “Match Officials Mic’d Up” for the current season, Howard Webb defended Brooks. Michael Owen hosts a show that will shed light on controversial calls made in the Premier League.
The red card given to Van Dijk was shown prominently. Conversations between Brooks and VAR official Stuart Attwell may be captured on camera and aired. Following Van Dijk’s foul on Isak, Brooks was overheard stating, “He comes through the man to play the ball,” before instructing the Liverpool players to “move away” for the time being while VAR reviewed the incident.
To which Van Dijk’s response was, “wait” until a decision was reached, Brooks said. Aside from that, he said, “You will need to go immediately if I tell you you’ve got to go.” Brooks was certain that he had made the right judgment, notwithstanding Liverpool’s insistence that it was not a red card.
Van Dijk refused to accept the verdict, and he left the field of play only begrudgingly when VAR sided with Brooks. The FA ultimately decided to prosecute him because of these and other remarks he made after the event.
The Sun reports that Van Dijk will be suspended for an additional game because he disobeyed Brooks’s directives. If Van Dijk is suspended for another game, he may miss Liverpool’s September 16 match against Wolves.
Webb, meanwhile, shared his thoughts on what had happened. He said, “We believe that referee John Brooks correctly identified a foul.” Van Dijk eventually plays the ball, but he visibly injures Alexander Isak by kicking through his foot.It’s a free kick, and it takes away a clear chance for Isak to score. He has a good look at the net, he should have good control of the ball, and no defenders are covering him. And naturally, we know that this path will lead us to our ultimate destination.
“Van Dijk is not shielded by the fact that a yellow card would have been issued for an effort to play the ball or challenge for the ball if this had occurred within the penalty area. Despite the fact that the play occurred beyond the penalty area, a red card must be issued for [denial of a goal-scoring chance].
Even if the defender is attempting to play the ball (as van Dijk did), the fact that he committed a foul implies that he must be sent off in this situation. The problem is quite plain.
