CRISTIAN ROMERO CHARGED BY THE FA FOR AGGRESSIVE CONDUCT AGAINST REFEREE JOHN BROOKS
The FA has charged Cristian Romero for allegedly failing to leave the pitch and behaving aggressively toward the referee.
Cristian Romero is in trouble with the Football Association after getting kicked out of Saturday's Liverpool game against Tottenham. He got a second yellow for kicking at Ibrahima Konate late in the game.
The FA isn't just upset about the kick, though. They're saying he didn't leave the field fast enough and was acting out towards the ref, John Brooks, after the red card.
The FA said Cristian Romero is charged with the Liverpool match on December 20. He apparently didn't leave the field when told and was confrontational/aggressive with the ref after being sent off in the 93rd minute. He has until January 2, 2026, to respond.
Romero is already suspended for a game because of the red card, so he'll miss the Crystal Palace match on December 28.
Spurs manager Thomas Frank didn't agree with the red card, saying after the Liverpool game:
“The second red, we were unlucky,” Frank said. “There’s likely a reason the whole team reacted like that.
Usually, if one player goes off, fine, but the whole team? Something was up. We've all played and seen enough football to know that.
So, I'm not sure about the first yellow. The second, they were just battling; Konate smashed into Cuti [Romero]. It's a foul, nothing more.
His foot landed on Cuti's head. Not a yellow for that, but Cuti reacted. I guess it could've been given, but maybe not.”
Romero messed up on both Liverpool goals, too. He lost the ball in midfield for the first goal and claimed he was fouled by Hugo Ekitike on the second.
Also, Spurs almost got fined by the FA for having too many players lose their cool.
If six or more players/staff get cautioned or sent off in a match, the club gets a £25,000 fine right away.
Six Spurs players got cards from Brooks: Frank, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Xavi Simons (straight red for a bad challenge on Virgil van Dijk). Romero's two yellows didn't quite push them over the fine threshold.
Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool also had issues. Curtis Jones got a red for a foul on Yves Bissouma (upgraded by VAR), and Diogo Jota got two quick yellows.
Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, and assistant manager Peter Krawietz all got cautioned.
Since Spurs didn't hit that six-card mark.
BRUNO SALTOR OFFICIALLY JOINS TOTTENHAM AS ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE NORTH LONDON DERBY
Tottenham appoints Bruno Saltor! Discover the new coaching team under Igor Tudor and the departures following Thomas Frank's exit.
Tottenham Hotspur just shook up their coaching staff, bringing in Bruno Saltor, a guy who’s worked with Chelsea and West Ham in the past.
Saltor’s stepping in alongside interim boss Igor Tudor until the season wraps up. Spurs let go of Thomas Frank earlier this month, and, like Manchester United, they’ve decided to go with a temporary setup for now and figure out the bigger picture in the summer.
Tudor, who’s managed clubs like Marseille, Lazio, and Juventus, is set to take charge for the first time this weekend in the North London derby against Arsenal. Saltor will be in the dugout for his first Spurs match, too.
If you’ve followed Saltor’s career, you might know he’s often worked with Graham Potter. That’s how he ended up at both Chelsea and West Ham. When Potter left Chelsea in 2023, Saltor took over as interim head coach. His one match in charge ended in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool. Frank Lampard replaced him soon after, and Saltor stayed on as part of the coaching staff until Mauricio Pochettino arrived, at which point he moved on. He later reunited with Potter at West Ham but left when Potter did in September.
Tottenham’s official statement confirmed the news: “Following the arrival of Igor Tudor as Head Coach until the end of the season, we can now confirm the appointment of three additional coaches to our Men’s First Team coaching staff. We welcome Bruno Saltor as Igor's assistant coach." Born in El Masnou, Spain, Saltor started his playing career in his home country before joining Brighton in 2012. He made 235 appearances there over seven years, then moved into coaching with the Seagulls after retiring in 2019. Since then, he’s picked up experience at Chelsea and West Ham.
Along with Saltor’s appointment, Spurs also announced some departures. Justin Cochrane, John Heitinga, and Chris Haslam are all leaving the coaching staff after Frank’s exit. The club thanked them for their efforts and wished them well.
GLASNER OUT? CRYSTAL PALACE CONSIDERING IMMEDIATE EXIT FOR BOSS AFTER DISMAL EUROPEAN DRAW
Oliver Glasner’s exit is imminent! Discover why Robbie Keane has emerged as the favorite to lead Crystal Palace out of crisis.
Oliver Glasner was supposed to stick around at Crystal Palace until the end of the season. That was the plan, anyway. But after another rough run of results, his exit could come a lot sooner.
Thursday night in Bosnia should’ve been nothing special, just a routine first leg against a team Palace should handle easily, with the real test back at Selhurst Park next week. Instead, a 1-1 draw against Zrinjski Mostar turned into another mess in a season that’s gotten uglier by the week for Glasner and Palace.
The travelling fans didn’t hide how they felt.
Palace have only managed one win in their last 15 games. That’s not a blip; it’s a full-on collapse, and it looks like Glasner’s time might be up even faster than everyone thought.
People at the top of the club have started openly asking if letting Glasner finish out his contract is actually hurting more than helping. He said back in January that he’d leave when his deal was up in the summer, but with results falling off a cliff and morale at rock bottom, those discussions have picked up speed.
Word is, Palace have already started looking for Glasner’s replacement, planning for a summer hire. But now, it looks like they might bring in his successor right away.
One name has shot straight to the top of the list: Robbie Keane.
TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook says Palace are considering Keane as a short-term fix if Glasner goes before the season ends. Keane’s reputation has soared lately. He won the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv, then took the Hungarian league title in his first season at Ferencváros.
His win rate at Maccabi was over 73 per cent. He’s also done time as an assistant coach at Leeds and Middlesbrough. People who’ve played for him, like Ireland’s Callum O’Dowda, rave about him. O’Dowda said, “As soon as he opens his mouth, you want to listen. It’s phenomenal, really. On the coaching side,e he has been good.”
For now, Keane is still in charge at Ferencvaros, who are still in the Europa League, so prying him away won’t be simple.
Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, eight points clear of the relegation zone, but that gap feels less safe with every week they fail to win.
Tottenham even considered Keane as an interim manager before they went with Igor Tudor.