Angus Kinnear blasts Jurgen Klopp for role in Pascal Struijk’s dismissal
Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear is not pleased with the role Jurgen Klopp played in Pascal Struijk’s dismissal against Liverpool.
The Whites defender was sent off after a tackle that left Harvey Elliot needing surgery during the Reds’ 3-0 win at Elland Road on the 12th of September.
While Leeds appealed the subsequent three-match ban, they lost, and Kinnear believes the decision of Klopp to come on the pitch and speak with referee Craig Pawson made the official send off Struijk having not initially done so.
The Whites chief has aimed a dig at the Liverpool boss in Saturday’s pre-match programme notes against West Ham, telling the Premier League to stop managers from influencing the decisions of officials.
“I believe we made a compelling case a tackle that was not even viewed as a foul by any of the officials, the opposing players, and a crowd of 37,000 could retrospectively be deemed a dismissal on the strength of an assessment of the seriousness of the injury,” he said (via Leeds-Live).
“One of the panel of three agreed there is an inherent risk to the welfare of a player in every challenge and therefore the tackle was not serious foul play. Conversely, the remaining two delegates did not agree.
“They argued it was an obvious refereeing error and may have inadvertently set a precedent any serious injuries that occur during physical contact must be met with disciplinary action.
“Following the panel’s decision we were left with no other recourse than to humbly request to the Premier League opposing head coaches are not selected to officiate any more of our games for the remainder of this season.”
Message sent
Leeds United are definitely still hurt that the FA failed to overrule the defender’s dismissal, and they are right to feel so, especially given the role Klopp played in everything.
Elliot has since defended Struijk countless times on social media, and the Liverpool boss should hang his head in shame.
Understandably, he was passionate about defending his player, but he had no right being on the pitch in the first place, and he should have been sanctioned.
Pawson initially did not blow for a foul as he reckoned Struijk won the ball fairly, but VAR Darren England assessed the incident, and given the nature of the injury, the ref sent the Whites defender off.
Had Klopp not approached him, things might have been different, and the FA did not help matters with their own decisions.
The player and Leeds felt hard done by as a result of the final ruling, and while they have moved on, Kinnear made his feelings known towards the Premier League and the Liverpool boss.
In other Leeds news, Emma Jones has hit back after Robbie Savage told Whites fans to be worried.