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Fulham boss Marco Silva has been hit with a Football Association (FA) sanction ahead of their visit to face Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.
Silva’s charge stems from a furious post‑match interview after Fulham’s 1‑0 home defeat to West Ham on 4 March, when he took aim at referee Matt Donohue and VAR John Brooks for overturning a late Cottagers penalty.
The Fulham boss felt his side had been “robbed” by the decision and openly questioned the officials’ handling of several key moments, comments the FA say implied bias and called into question the integrity of the match officials.
Those remarks have now landed him in hot water. An Independent Regulatory Commission has hit Silva with a one‑match touchline ban and a hefty £90,000 fine after he admitted the charge of misconduct brought under FA Rule E3.
The punishment reflects not only the wording of his interview but also his previous disciplinary history, with the Portuguese coach having been sanctioned multiple times in recent seasons for run‑ins with referees.
Crucially, the one match suspension has been paused “pending an appeal”, meaning he should be on the touchline at Anfield this Saturday:
“An independent Regulatory Commission has sanctioned Marco Silva for comments that he made after the Premier League match between Fulham and West Ham United on Wednesday 4 March.”
“It was alleged that the head coach acted in an improper manner by making comments in a post-match interview that imply bias and/or question integrity and/or are personally offensive in relation to a match official.”
“Marco Silva subsequently admitted the charge against him. The Regulatory Commission imposed a one-match touchline suspension and £90,000 fine after a hearing, and its written reasons can be seen below.”
“The head coach’s suspension has been paused pending an appeal, so he’s available to be on the touchline this weekend, and an official update will be provided in due course.”
Liverpool’s clash with Fulham comes in-between their two legs with PSG, with Ibrahima Konate lamenting the fact that the Premier League does not help their cause as much as Ligue 1 has done for PSG.
Silva may yet win a reduction on appeal, but the episode is another reminder that the FA is watching his touchline behaviour closely. Liverpool, meanwhile, will hope the focus at Anfield stays on the football rather than another refereeing storm.
