Mane appeal failure no surprise to Klopp as Sevilla await

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 winger 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 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.

However, Mane will be available for Liverpool’s opening Champions League fixture against Sevilla at Anfield on Wednesday, and Klopp, speaking on the eve of the match with the Spanish side, 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 a waste of time obviously.

“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 it 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 not lucky. And obviously Ederson was not lucky. It looks really awful and he was also lucky nothing more serious happened.”

Klopp maintained that Mane did not deliberately set out to 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