EPL: Jurgen Klopp charged by FA over referee comments in West Ham draw

Image Credits: Reuters

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was charged by the English Football Association (FA) on Wednesday over comments he made about the referee after his side`s 1-1 draw with West Ham United in the Premier League on Feb. 4.

The German manager said referee Kevin Friend`s performance was affected by the decision to allow Sadio Mane`s opening goal, which should have been ruled out for offside.

The FA said Klopp had been charged as the comments "questioned the integrity of the referee and/or implied bias".

West Ham equalised through Michail Antonio`s goal before the interval but Klopp said Friend "did not want to open the gap any more" in the second half.

"It was a tough game. Apparently our goal was offside and maybe the referee knew that in the second half. It's a point and a fair point,"  Klopp said after the match at the London Stadium.

"As a human being, if I know I have made a big mistake in the first half, I don`t want to open the gap any more."

"Referees are obviously human beings, and I understand that, but I didn`t during the game because I had no clue that our goal was offside."

Klopp has until 1800 GMT on Monday to respond to the charge.