Anyone who saw the way that Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk reacted to his red card in the Newcastle game at the weekend will surely feel that the subsequent one match ban he’s received is insufficient.
The Dutchman was somewhat aggressive towards the officials and took an age to actually leave the field of play.
In many respects it was conduct unbecoming of a player that could be set to be the new Reds captain for many more years.
However, with the armband comes the responsibility of being the figurehead of the club on the pitch as well as an ambassador off it.
To that end, there’s a certain type of behaviour that has to be adhered to, and that plainly wasn’t on show at St. James’ Park.
Though van Dijk didn’t completely lose the plot, his antics were unsavoury at best, and former Premier League referee, Mark Halsey, believes the centre-back has got away lightly.
‘Van Dijk will rightly receive a one-match ban for the straight red card but I believe his suspension should be increased,’ he wrote in The Sun.
‘Of course, this will depend on Brooks’ official report but 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.’
As someone who stood in the middle for many years, Halsey speaks from a position of authority, and his viewpoint needs to be listened too.
Being on the end of such tirades would be something Halsey knows only too well, and less leniency from this point onwards will surely act as a deterrent in future.
If a player understands such conduct is a four rather than one match ban, it’s a fair bet that they’ll think twice about their actions.