EPL assistant ref dropped after Robertson elbow incident
While the Football Association investigates whether he elbowed Liverpool's Andrew Robertson, assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis will not be involved in any games.
The extraordinary incident occurred shortly after the half-time whistle in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.
On the field, Robertson appeared to confront Hatzidakis, reaching for the official's arm, who reacted by jabbing his elbow at the Liverpool left-back.
Robertson gestured that he had been hit by Hatzidakis as he was led away by teammates, only to receive a yellow card as a result of the bizarre incident.
Hatzidakis is being investigated by the FA for his role in the row and will be suspended until the investigation is completed.
"The PGMOL will not appoint Constantine Hatzidakis to fixtures in any of the competitions it serves while the FA investigates the incident involving the assistant referee and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at Anfield," said the Premier League referees' body.
"Ultimately, if he is found guilty of this, his career is in jeopardy," Keith Hackett, former head of the PGMOL, told BBC Radio Five Live.
"I was trying to think of an explanation for why he did it, and I came up with - was he afraid?" He shouldn't be because he's in a safe place with plenty of security.
"But, at the end of the day, he reacted in a way that he shouldn't have reacted, and here we're talking about a match official - not a decision, but an action by a match official - and he's clearly lost his composure."
- 'Big baby,'
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Another former Premier League referee, Mark Halsey, criticized Robertson's behavior but admitted that if Hatzidakis is found guilty of an offense, he will face a ban.
Halsey drew a parallel in The Sun with Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who was recently banned for eight games for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh.
"It appears to me that Robertson goes to grab Hatzidakis, who brushes him off with his arm and accidentally catches him," Halsey said.
"I can't imagine why an assistant would throw his arms in the face of a player." Sure, it doesn't look good from one camera angle. But one must wonder why Robertson went to approach the assistant referee.
"I've heard it said that this is the end of the linesman's career, but it's his full-time job, just like Aleksandar Mitrovic's." If he is found guilty and did use his elbow on purpose, he will face the same punishment as the Fulham forward."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he didn't see what happened, but Sky Sports pundits covering the game were stunned.
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville stated, "I've never seen an official raise an elbow to a player." "I believe he'll be in a lot of trouble after this game."
Roy Keane, a former Manchester United captain, emphasized Robertson's role in the incident.
"He should be more concerned with his defense," Keane said. "Do you know who that Robertson is?" I've seen him a few times; he's a big baby, that's what that guy is."
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