Erling Haaland must be punished for his actions towards Simon Hooper and Liverpool will know why.
Overall, it’s difficult to feel sympathy for modern-day cash-strapped Manchester City for a number of reasons.
But it was impossible not to recognize the fury of Pep Guardiola’s side in the closing minutes of their 3-3 Premier League draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
Erling Haaland beat Emerson Royal in the center circle for a clear foul but played the ball to Jack Grealish in the visitors’ defense but was beaten by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
But the game was stopped by referee Simon Hooper, who initially had a good lead before reducing his efforts to award a penalty, with Grealish looking likely to score a late winner.
The city was clearly upset. And in football, because it’s a high-pressure game often played on the sidelines, those strong emotions have to be allowed to surface.
Given the reaction of the football world to Virgil van Dijk’s departure from Newcastle United last August and the Liverpool centre-back’s one-match absence, it will be interesting to see what happens with Haaland.
He has already been suspended for the red card and faces a £100,000 fine along with the ban. Haaland invaded referee Hooper’s personal space and shouted his disgust at the decision in scenes reminiscent of Manchester United fireman Roy Keane punching official Andy D’Urso in the face in January 2000.
Given the skills impressive physique of the City striker, this sparked a backlash and led to a warning. The Norwegian later fanned the flames further by once again expressing his disgust at the ‘wtf’ message on social media.
In this case, it is highly unlikely that the last word means “flip”. Indeed, the decision to extend Van Dijk’s suspension for a foul on referee John Brooks at St James’ Park was controversial.
The authorities’ decision to respect the referees at the start of the season was controversial. Dear civil servants, this motion, although entirely honorable and very necessary, loses its effect when it begins to single out its subjects.It must be consistent regardless of profile and status.
The reactions of Haaland and Van Dijk, however reasonable, seem to differ slightly. In fact, Holland’s condition may be worse. It certainly seemed that way.
After beating Fulham, Liverpool will be delighted that four of their rivals, City and Tottenham, have dropped points, just like Manchester United’s three wins against Newcastle United.
But what is particularly interesting now is what will happen to City’s most important man. It will be a big test to see if the FA is serious about tackling refereeing scandals or if they just want to cite a few select examples.
