Liverpool visited St. James’ Park last month to face Eddie Howe’s Newcastle team.
Things became much worse for Jurgen Klopp after falling behind 1-0 when Van Dijk was shown a straight red card in the 28th minute for a challenge on Alexander Isak.
Liverpool had initially hoped that their captain would miss just one game, but he may now be subject to a longer suspension.
The FA charged him last week for ‘abuse’ against the official, and the recording of the incident was made public.
The FA announced in a statement that “Virgil van Dijk has been charged with a breach of FA rule E3.1 following Liverpool’s Premier League game against Newcastle United on Sunday, 27 August.”
His post-dismissal behavior, though, might need a longer suspension. The fact that Van Dijk yelled profanities at the referee and reportedly called the ruling a “f***ing joke” as he lost his cool and resisted leaving the field without a fight was obvious from his lip movement.
The former Southampton player was also seen getting into a heated argument with fourth official Craig Pawson as he walked down the tunnel, which can be considered “improper conduct.”
Former referee Mike Dean, whose comments on a podcast this week generated headlines, clarified the circumstance.
