Alisson Becker Fined £8,000 for Misconduct After Nottingham Forest Match

Alisson Becker has been fined £8,000 by the FA after accepting a misconduct charge for his actions following Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest last month.

The Liverpool goalkeeper lost his cool in the aftermath of a controversial late penalty awarded against him for a foul on former team-mate Neco Williams, a decision that allowed Morgan Gibbs-White to put Forest in front from the spot.

Tension had already been simmering. Liverpool had been left frustrated moments earlier when the fourth official’s electronic board malfunctioned, delaying a triple substitution as the game swung on a knife edge. Forest won their penalty during that spell, and when the final whistle went, Alisson’s anger boiled over.

As he headed towards the tunnel, the Brazilian was seen kicking the fourth official’s board – the same piece of equipment that had caused the stoppage and added to Liverpool’s sense of injustice.

The FA confirmed the punishment in a statement, revealing Alisson had accepted the charge and the standard sanction.

“Liverpool’s Alisson Becker has been fined £8,000 for misconduct at the Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest on 29 August.

“It was alleged that the goalkeeper acted in an improper manner around the tunnel area after the final whistle.

“Alisson Becker has subsequently accepted the charge against him and received the standard penalty.”

The sting has only grown sharper for the goalkeeper since.

Earlier this week, the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel ruled that the penalty should not have been awarded by referee Sam Barrott. Three of the five panel members felt Alisson’s challenge on Williams did not merit a spot-kick.

Their assessment was blunt.

"The contact from Alisson was inevitable as a consequence of his momentum in attempting to save the ball," the KMI Panel said. "The contact made was not reckless and below the threshold for a penalty."

Yet the panel still backed the VAR process on the day. VAR Michael Oliver did not send Barrott to the pitchside monitor, and the KMI Panel unanimously agreed that decision was correct under the current “clear and obvious” standard.

"However, the non-intervention by the VAR was unanimously supported on the basis that it was not a clear and obvious error."

So Alisson leaves the episode with an £8,000 fine, a misconduct charge accepted, and the knowledge that the penalty which sparked his fury should never have been given in the first place.