WASTE
Mane appeal failure no surprise to Klopp
LIVERPOOL
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Tuesday said he knew the club’s appeal to reduce Sadio Mane’s three-match suspension would be “a waste of time.”
The Senegal forward was shown a straight red card during Liverpool’s 5-0 loss away to Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday after his high boot challenge caught goalkeeper Ederson in the face.
Liverpool’s appeal to have the immediate three-game ban reduced was rejected by a Football Association disciplinary hearing on Tuesday.
Mane, 25, will now be suspended for Liverpool’s Premier League match against Burnley and the league and League Cup ‘doubleheader’ with Leicester City.
Klopp said on Tuesday he knew the appeal on behalf of Mane would end in failure.
“I didn’t expect something different,” Klopp said. “It was really our duty to appeal. But it was obviously a waste of time.
“Our appeal was right because we would have appealed the red card but we didn’t.
“We only appealed the length of the suspension. I never thought it would happen but only because I am used to things like this. There were a lot of situations which were similar.”
The German manager added: “All the other players were lucky only Sadio was unlucky. And obviously Ederson was not lucky either. It looked really awful and he was also lucky nothing more serious happened.”
Klopp maintained Mane did not deliberately injure Ederson and felt he should have had one game taken off his ban.
“There was not even a percentage of Sadio which wanted to put the goalkeeper in danger. He wanted to get the ball and it’s important he does that in the next few games,” Klopp insisted. AFP