Premier League to Meet with Southampton and Liverpool Over Van Dijk Case

Another day, another hour, another news item on the continuing fallout of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk pursuit and the club's tacit admission of guilt for tapping up the star Southampton centre half. Today, that news is that Southampton never actually made the formal complaint that led to Liverpool's apology.

Despite that the two clubs worked together to formulate a shaming public apology, The Liverpool Echo and others today say that Southampton never actually took their complaint to the league. And as we had already learned late yesterday, there remains a chance the league could punish Liverpool despite that.

Whether it's despite Southampton withdrawing any complaint, or whether it's despite a complaint never actually having been made, the league and FA are still free to investigate the case and hand out a punishment to Liverpool if they perceive there to have been significant wrongdoing. This should worry Liverpool.

It should worry Liverpool because if there wasn't significant wrongdoing, and significant wrongdoing that they believed was likely provable, it's impossible to imagine yesterday's public apology meant to appease Southampton while making them the laughing stock of football for at least the next little while.

That, though, became clear late yesterday. At least the part where Liverpool could still face punishment—up to and including a senior transfer ban. The part where Southampton never actually took their complaint to anyone is new. As is news that today, the league plan to meet with representatives of both clubs.

It isn't a formal enquiry—at least not yet—but with the league holding their annual general meeting today with senior representatives of all clubs present, there are plans by the league to speak to both about the Van Dijk transfer situation. The club's embarrassment could soon turn into something even worse.