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Virgil van Dijk should see his ban extended after he was shown a straight red card against Newcastle United, according to a former Premier League referee.
The Liverpool skipper was sent off just before the half-hour mark for bringing down Alexander Isak on the edge of the Reds box as the last man.
Van Dijk was left incensed by the decision and berated and swore at referee John Brooks, seemingly calling the referee a f***ing joke," before he was eventually shown on his way after VAR concluded there was no clear and obvious error to overturn the decision.
And while the Dutchman is set to receive a one-match ban as customary, there have been calls for that ban to be extended due to his ill-discipline towards referee Brooks and fourth official Craig Pawson.
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A strong ban has been urged by former Premier League referee Mark Halsey amid referee boss Howard Webb's attempt to clamp down on dissent towards officials.
Halsey told The Sun: "Football must not tolerate any more abuse of match officials. So the Football Association has to clamp down and punish Virgil Van Dijk for his unacceptable behaviour at Newcastle on Sunday.
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"The new Liverpool captain fell well below the standards set by one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League. Van Dijk swore, gestured and constantly questioned Brooks following the red card.
"Van Dijk will rightly receive a one-match ban for the straight red card but I believe his suspension should be increased. The abusive and insulting language used by the new Reds leader could be worthy of another RED CARD and result in an additional three-match ban.
"That would rule out Van Dijk for four matches in total – a fitting punishment for his poor conduct. Howard Webb went around all of the clubs in a bid to improve the standards of behaviour towards officials. But clearly some players, including Van Dijk, didn’t bother to listen."
Halsey highlighted that it took Van Dijk two and a half minutes to leave the pitch after being shown the red card, and said it sent a “poor message” to the footballing world.
According to FA regulations, players can face further penalties for ‘improper behaviour’ and ‘confrontational’ behaviour when it comes to suspensions.
Van Dijk is set to miss Liverpool’s home game against Aston Villa on Sunday due to suspension but could miss Wolves, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur if his ban is extended to four matches.
- Premier League
- Virgil van Dijk
- Liverpool FC
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