Liverpool boss Klopp unwilling to pay FA ₦43m fine

Liverpool boss Klopp has stated that he would be unwilling to pay the FA fine meted out to him following a comment he made about Premier League official Paul Tierney unless he had specific guarantees. 

Klopp was fined £75,000 and suspended for two matches after making unsavoury comments about Tierney following Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Tottenham, where he accused the referee of being biased against his team during that and other fixtures. 

Although Klopp appeared to take the punishment well, the German manager was keen to point out that he would not be willing to pay the obligatory fine unless he knew where the money would go. 

Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s game against Aston Villa, Klopp said, "I expected a punishment. It is okay; I would like to know where the money goes. If it is a good cause, I'm happy to pay it; if the FA keeps it, we'll have to talk again.”

Klopp will miss the game against Aston Villa, Liverpool’s last home game of the season, but will be back for the Reds’ last game of the season against Southampton as the second match-ban was suspended pending another offence. 

The ex-Borussia Dortmund manager will be unable to give a proper farewell to four departing players that he has labelled legends of the club, including Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, James Milner, and Roberto Firmino. 

The team will be under the guidance of assistant manager Pep Lijnders for the Aston Villa game, with Klopp returning after the fixture.