With Virgil van Dijk receiving a £100,000 fine and another one-match ban for his red card at Newcastle, the Liverpool captain issued a statement.
Van Dijk had already sat out the Reds’ 3-0 victory over Aston Villa due to the suspension received for a straight red card at St James’ Park.
But Friday brought the expected news that, due to his reaction upon being dismissed for bringing down Alexander Isak as the last man, he would also miss another game.
The FA confirmed that Van Dijk’s ban had been extended to include the trip to Wolves on September 16, with the centre-back also fined £100,000.
In a statement on his Instagram story soon after, Van Dijk wrote: “I’d just like to make it 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.
“I apologised immediately after the game to the match officials and take full responsibility.
“Time to move forward now. I will continue supporting the team in every way I can.”
Van Dijk’s sending off came following a lengthy consultation between referee John Brooks and VAR Stuart Attwell, with audio of the incident submitted to Sky Sports.
Brooks’ initial decision stood, with the Dutchman remonstrating throughout as the official told him “don’t do anything silly.”
Upon confirmation from VAR, Brooks insisted Van Dijk “go now,” with the player telling the referee his decision was a “fucking joke.”
Fourth official Craig Pawson then attempted to calm the No. 4 down on the touchline, at which point Van Dijk told him “don’t touch me” before heading down the tunnel.
The FA’s statement on Friday reads: “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.”
