Virgil van Dijk’s ban was extended because of a use of foul and inappropriate language to a referee, the defender accepted the charge and few can argue that he didn’t act in an improper way to a match official.
However, punishing our captain for this will surely only have to start a precedent for doing the same to others and some supporters online spotted Jordan Pickford swearing at an official during Everton’s most recent match.
On the face of it, this incident and reaction seems a bit petty but the Premier League need consistency and it does seem very harsh that our No.4 missed a second game for using bad language when players do this in every match.
If you’re going to punish it, give everyone the same treatment – otherwise it just feels like you’re targeting us and our players.
You can watch the video of Pickford courtesy of Sky Sports (via @JATTSOPRANO316 on X):
Jordan Pickford has just called the linesman a “f*cking prick” and then promptly told him to “f*ck off”. I hope that was worth it as it’s surely about to cost him £100,000 & a one match ban, no?
— Sarah (@JATTSOPRANO316) September 17, 2023
#Ep90 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Steve Kay – Goncalo Inacio NEXT?🎙️