Liverpool have now been charged by the FA after surrounding Simon Hooper in Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.
The FA have released a statement which reads: “Liverpool FC has been charged after its players surrounded a match official during the 34th minute of their Premier League game against Manchester City FC on Saturday 1 April.
“It is alleged that Liverpool FC failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or do not behave in a way which is improper, and the club has until Wednesday 12 April to respond.”
So – in light of this news – why did Liverpool surround Hooper? Let’s take a look…
Why Liverpool players surrounded Simon Hooper and landed FA charge
Well – while we aren’t condoning what Liverpool did – the players had a good reason to surround Hooper.
The 40-year-old failed to use his authority to ensure that Rodri behaved appropriately during the clash at the Etihad Stadium, as the Spain international continued to get away with a number of fouls.
Manchester City’s No.16 was eventually booked in the 33rd minute, although after he managed to escape further punishment when pulling Cody Gakpo back as Liverpool looked to break away, the likes of Jordan Henderson were left furious.
In our view, Rodri would have picked up a yellow card for that foul had he not already been booked, as the prevention of a counter attack is usually punished by officials.
However – in this instance – Hooper decided to show a lot of leniency, which enraged the Liverpool players.
The FA certainly seem keen to clamp down on the surrounding of referees this season, with Arsenal already receiving two charges of their own for similar offences.
Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again – however, some officials certainly have to do better in order to prevent finding themselves in a situation like this.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
