Virgil van Dijk fumes at referee again during Netherlands match after receiving £100k fine
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Liverpool and Netherlands star Virgil van Dijk was involved in another exchange with a referee on Sunday - just days after receiving a fine for a similar incident in the Reds' clash against Newcastle.
Van Dijk was shown a red card at St James' Park last month for fouling Alexander Isak outside the box, with the Swedish forward about to run through on goal.
But the Dutchman firmly disagreed his decision, and aimed his fury at referee John Brooks, the fourth official and even Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
The 31-year-old received the standard one-match ban for the incident, but the FA extended it by a further match and handed him a £100,000 fine for acting in an 'improper manner'.
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Having already missed Liverpool's 3-0 win over Aston Villa earlier this month, he will now miss Saturday's trip to Wolves as Premier League action resumes after the international break.
Van Dijk will, therefore, have been grateful to get some minutes under his belt for Netherlands when they faced Republic of Ireland in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday. But things didn't quite go to plan.
Van Dijk rages at referee
After just three minutes of play at the Aviva Stadium, Van Dijk conceded a penalty for handball. It was put away by Norwich forward Adam Idah to give Stephen Kenny's side a surprise lead.
But the Liverpool star was once again angry with the decision made by the referee, and remonstrated prior to the spot kick being taken.
The ball struck Van Dijk on the arm from close range following an Irish set piece, but the defender clearly felt there wasn't enough in it to warrant a penalty kick - a feeling echoed by his team-mates.
The Netherlands foul which led to the Irish penalty kick... 👊#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/eKIb4kOlRI
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) September 10, 2023
Fortunately for the Reds defender, however, he escaped a booking for the incident.
And while the Netherlands fell behind early on, they responded with goals from Van Dijk's club team-mate Cody Gakpo and former Manchester United loanee Wout Weghorst.
The referee exchange, though, may serve as a reminder for Van Dijk to tread with extra caution when he returns to Premier League action following the completion of his ban.
Featured Image Credit: UEFA
Topics: Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool, Premier League, Netherlands
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