Jurgen Klopp‘s reaction to Diogo Jota being denied a penalty against Burnley earned him a yellow card, and he was left confused and then thankful for the fact blue cards do not yet exist!
The manager did not hide his frustration when his No. 20 saw a penalty shout waved away by referee Tim Robinson after being hauled to the ground by Hannes Delcroix in the first half.
Klopp’s reaction earned him the attention of the fourth official and subsequently the referee, who showed the manager a yellow card – something he is no stranger to.
In his post-match press conference, Klopp was asked if he accepted the punishment, to which he responded: “Is there any chance not to accept it?”
He then asked the press room if they saw the situation as he did before serving up a brilliant line about blue cards, a new punishment to be tested in lower levels that will see players removed for 10 minutes.
“I’m not sure, did anybody see the situation? When Diogo got wrestled down, is that a possible penalty?” Klopp asked.
“I want to know. From my position [it was]. It’s in the box and, for me, that’s a penalty.
“And then the fourth official tells me, ‘VAR checks it’. VAR had no chance in that moment because it’s not clear and obvious.
“Something he’s [the referee] seen was not enough for a penalty, and that clicked slightly in my head.
“Just imagine this game today, because we are in the middle of the blue card [discussion], that would’ve been the Wild West!
“Honestly, the cards would’ve flown. For a moment there would’ve been seven players on the pitch because everybody has a sin bin with a blue card.”
In total, there were seven yellow cards shared between the two teams – including one for Klopp and Vincent Kompany – so you can see why the manager’s thoughts went where they did, imagine them all in the sin bin!
