Liverpool News: Dejan Lovren banned for one match by UEFA over social media remarks

What's the story?

Liverpool and Croatian defender Dejan Lovren got banned for one international match over comments he made on social media about Sergio Ramos and the Spanish national team.

In case you didn't know...

Dejan Lovren posted a video on Instagram boasting about him elbowing the Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and also appeared to taunt the Spaniard following Croatia's 3-2 win over Spain in the Nations League during November.

Lovren also went on to say via a live stream post: “Haha! 3-2! Go ahead and talk now buddy. Buddy! They are a bunch of p******."

The Croatian international also questioned Ramos’ ability, claiming he is made to look better than he actually is by team-mate Raphael Varane, before suggesting he himself was one of the best defenders in the world.

The heart of the matter

The European football governing body UEFA decided to look into the matter and concluded that Lovren had fallen foul of a clause in its disciplinary rules which penalizes anyone “whose conduct is insulting or otherwise violates the basic rules of decent conduct”.

The 29-year-old has been banned for one game for his behavior and will now miss Croatia's Euro 2020 qualifier game at home to Azerbaijan in March.

What's next?

Dejan Lovren is amongst the most important players for Croatia and his absence will be the major blow for the team. He played a vital role in his country's run to the finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018 and received a lot of plaudits for his performances.

The defender will also miss Liverpool's trip to Brighton and Hove Albion during the weekend after sustaining a hamstring problem early in the Reds' FA Cup defeat against Wolverhampton Wanders earlier this week.