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Arne Slot has a rich history with referees - because he is adamant they influence the final standings at the end of the season.
The table-topping Liverpool boss was shown a red card by Michael Oliver for his remonstrations on Wednesday after Everton grabbed a controversial 98th-minute equaliser.
Slot said en route to guiding Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title: “Referees have influence on the final ranking of the league.
“Refereeing remains a job of humans.
Arne Slot believes referees influence the final league standings.
Rewind to April 2020 and it’s clear to see why Slot may feel aggrieved whenever there is any lingering sense of injustice.
At the time, his AZ Alkmaar side were second in table – only behind Ajax, who they had beaten home and away, on goal difference – when the Eredivisie became the first major European league to be curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Slot soldiered on, later winning Holland’s prestigious Rinus Michels Award [Manager of the Year] on two separate occasions to earn his lucrative Anfield contract.
In April 2023, the Dutch tactician - lauded for masterminding the most attractive brand of football in Feyenoord’s 100-year history – claimed his handling of officials had been exaggerated by the media.
At one point, to take a stand, he even gave up contesting what he considered to be stonewall penalties in Holland when they weren't given, even though he was of the opinion that when you play attacking football, you generally get more spot-kicks.
He later reflected: "As manager of Feyenoord I kind of counted on more penalties in the advantage of my team.
Slot, however, makes no secret of the fact he has never been afraid to tell referees what he really thinks when the time is right.
After being handed a one-match touchline ban in December after accruing three yellow cards, he acknowledged attempting to influence officials in a bid to create a siege mentality.
“You try to influence as much as you can,” Slot said before admitting his advances had been unsuccessful.
“The mistake I’ve made two times already here, and one or two times in Holland, is sometimes you think that creating an atmosphere that the whole world is against you can lead to some positive decisions at the end of the game.”
It’s a habit Slot harvested from Jose Mourinho, having previously confessed at Feyenoord: “I saw from very close up how Mourinho was able to influence the referee and his team
In the final of the Conference League, AS Roma got everything going their way.’’
While Slot always strives to keep cool, Oliver simply poked the bear.
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