Jurgen Klopp will not be on the touchline as Liverpool take on Aston Villa on Saturday, with the manager accepting his two-match ban from the FA.
Klopp was fined £75,000 and banned for two matches, one being suspended, following comments regarding referee Paul Tierney last month.
The German insinuated bias from Tierney against Liverpool following a series of decisions that went against his side, including in the 4-3 win over Tottenham that preceded his claims.
A ban means he will be forced to watch from the stands this weekend, and speaking in his pre-match press conference, Klopp reflected on the situation.
“I expected a punishment, with all the things we know and all the things we could hear,” he said.
“That’s OK.
“I would like to know, like always, where the money goes. If it’s for a good cause, I’m more than happy to pay it. If the FA keeps it, I think it’s a bit harsh.
“People around me were pretty negative, they thought it would be longer!
“One game is OK. It’s like the Southampton game, pretty much the same process – I can watch the game from a better position, be in contact with the boys through my coaches.”
Asked if he expects to be permitted onto the pitch after the game, when the Reds bid farewell to Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Klopp said: “Nobody told me differently.”
“The game is over then,” he explained. “I’m banned for the game.”
On the club’s tributes to their departing quartet, he lauded them as “four Liverpool legends.”
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