Officials Appointed for Liverpool’s Trip to Newcastle
Liverpool’s trip to Newcastle this Sunday will be overseen by a team of officials that includes Constantine Hatzidakis, who was involved in the decision to confirm Alexis Mac Allister’s red card in the Reds’ last game against Bournemouth. Despite the controversy surrounding the decision, Hatzidakis has been appointed as assistant VAR for the second game in a row.
The appointment of Hatzidakis comes after a contentious start to the season for Premier League officials, and Liverpool will feel they have a strong case to overturn Mac Allister’s three-match ban. The club swiftly appealed the decision, and Hatzidakis’s appointment only adds to the confusion.
Hatzidakis will be assisting Stuart Attwell on VAR, with the pair to support referee John Brooks as he oversees the match at St James’ Park. Brooks was the fourth official who Jurgen Klopp celebrated in the face of when he was booked and subsequently banned when Liverpool beat Tottenham in April. He was also the referee in the last home game of 2022/23, when Cody Gakpo’s goal was disallowed against Aston Villa and Tyrone Mings avoided a red card for his highboot on the No. 18.
The full list of officials for Sunday’s match is as follows:
- Referee: John Brooks
- Assistants: Lee Betts, Akil Howson
- Fourth official: Craig Pawson
- VAR: Stuart Attwell
- Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis
Finding an official who has not been involved in any controversy where Liverpool are concerned becomes increasingly harder every week, and the Reds won’t be the only club thinking that way. It remains to be seen how the team of officials will handle Sunday’s match, but it looks set to be an interesting one.