Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp ‘in big trouble’ for Paul Tierney comments as PGMOL back referee after criticism

Jurgen Klopp is in ‘big trouble’ for his criticism of Paul Tierney after the PGMOL issued a statement supporting the referee.

The Liverpool boss didn’t hold back after the 4-3 victory over Tottenham, suggesting that Tierney has a problem with him and the Reds due to some of the decisions that he makes.

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Speaking about referee Tierney, the Liverpool boss said: “How they can give a foul on Mohamed Salah [before Spurs’ third goal].

“We have our history with [Paul] Tierney, I really don’t know what he has against us, he has said there is no problems but that cannot be true.

“How he looks at me, I don’t understand it. In England nobody has to clarify these situations, it’s really tricky and hard to understand.

“My celebration was unnecessary, which is fair but what he said to me when he gave me the yellow card is not okay.”

However the PGMOL refuted Klopp’s claims, saying in a statement: “PGMOL is aware of the comments made by Jürgen Klopp after his side’s fixture with Tottenham Hotspur.

“Match officials in the Premier League are recorded in all games via a communications system and having fully reviewed the audio of referee Paul Tierney from today’s fixture, we can confirm he acted in a professional manner throughout including when issuing the caution to the Liverpool manager so, therefore, we strongly refute any suggestion that Tierney’s actions were improper.”

Former Red Dean Saunders was then asked about Klopp’s comments, saying that the Liverpool boss will be in ‘big trouble’ for what he said.

Speaking on The Sports Breakfast, Saunders said: “I’ve been a manager and it does take over and you are convinced that certain referees don’t like you. Jurgen Klopp is convinced that Paul Tierney doesn’t like him.

“I don’t think it’s true and I think that once you start questioning the integrity of the ref you are in big trouble. He is in big trouble for what he said.”

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Saunders added: “The lower down the leagues you go the worse it gets and you’re convinced that when you’re managing, the referees decide the outcome of the game 50 per cent of the time – not by cheating, just by bad decisions.

“Then you start looking for who the ref is for the next game, ‘oh him again, he never gives us anything’, but I don’t think they cheat, I don’t think they show bias.

“I think by human nature if you’ve got 75,000 supporters baying down your neck if you make one more bad decision then they might just so, ‘do you know what, I’m not giving that’.”