The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) is set to investigate an incident involving Liverpool’s Andy Robertson and assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis. The altercation occurred at the end of the first half of the Anfield game between Liverpool and Arsenal, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
The incident began when Robertson approached Hatzidakis angrily and appeared to shove him as he passed. In response, Hatzidakis raised his elbow and hit Robertson in the chin. The Scot reacted furiously, and along with several of his teammates, approached referee Paul Tierney, who then booked Robertson.
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton, who was watching the game for BBC Radio 5 Live, believes that Hatzidakis should be punished for his actions. Sutton said, “I really don’t know what he was thinking. As far as I can see, he has to be banned. He will have to sit out a number of games. I can’t remember another incident like this. Where is the precedent for these things?”
Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane called Robertson a “big baby” for his reaction and said, “Robertson should be more worried about his defending. Just get on with the game. He grabs the linesman first.”
Aleksandar Mitrovic of Fulham is currently serving an eight-game ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh in their FA Cup loss at Manchester United on 19 March. This has caused Sutton to question what the punishment should be for Hatzidakis if the incident is investigated further. He said, “A big debating point was Mitrovic and the eight-game ban and the FA want him banned for more but you can’t have assistants throwing elbows. What should the punishment be?”
In response to the incident, PGMOL released a statement saying that it was “aware of an incident involving assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at half-time during the Liverpool v Arsenal fixture at Anfield”, adding that it would “review the matter in full”. It is yet to be seen what action will be taken against Hatzidakis, if any.