Tottenham captain Romero could be banned for a longer period after Liverpool’s red card

Cristian Romero could face an extended ban after the English Football Association accused him of failing to leave the pitch and behaving ‘aggressively’ when he was sent off against Liverpool last Saturday.

The Tottenham Hotspur captain was shown a second yellow card for kicking out at Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate before being sent off by referee John Brooks during a 1-2 defeat.

Romero’s dismissal left Spurs with nine men, as Xavi Simons had already received a red card in the first half for serious foul play.

Argentina centre-back Romero was shown a yellow card for dissent for the first time after complaining about a push from Hugo Ekitike as the striker scored Liverpool’s second goal.

Romero’s red card means he will have to serve a one-match suspension as he misses Sunday’s match against London rivals Crystal Palace.

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But he now faces additional punishment and a longer ban if found guilty. He has until January 2 to respond to Wednesday’s charges.

Spurs travel to Brentford on New Year’s Day before hosting Sunderland on January 4 and visiting Bournemouth three days later.

«It is alleged that he (Romero) acted in an inappropriate manner by failing to leave the field of play in time and/or behaving in a confrontational and/or aggressive manner towards the match referee after being sent off in the 93rd minute,» an FA statement said.

Romero came into the game with seven Premier League bookings this season and Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank accused Brooks of failing in his duties by sending the defender off.

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“A huge mistake was made by John on the field,” said Frank.

«Two hands on Ekitike’s back. I don’t understand how he didn’t see it. OK, luckily we have VAR, so they will save you when you need it, which they didn’t do. That was the second mistake.»

The Denmark boss added: «I think if you go back to that (second Liverpool goal) and the referee did his job, it wouldn’t have been a first yellow (for Romero). Is that fair to say?»

“I have a player who is extremely passionate, and when you have a passionate player, sometimes you have to go to the line.”

The defeat left Spurs in a lowly 14th place, adding to mounting pressure on Frank, who took over after Ange Postecoglou was sacked in June.

Published on December 25, 2025