The match between Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League left us with a somewhat familiar case with Liga MX, since a referee assaulted a Reds player, Andrew Robertson during the break at the Anfield stadium, just a week after the Mexican whistler kneed Lucas Romero, in a match between América and León.
Well, just a day later, the Association of Referees for Professional Matches of England (PGMOL) decided to suspend the assistant for the gesture against the Liverpool player, who approached him after the first half.
What happened to the referee’s alleged assault on Andrew Robertson?
After the end of the first half at Anfield, where the Reds trailed 2-1, Robertson moved closer to the linesman, Constantine Hatzidakisapparently to claim something from him while they both went to the center of the field.
At this moment, Constantine Hatzidakis raised his right elbow and directed it towards the face of the Liverpool player, although the shots do not show whether the elbow actually hits the player’s face.
Arbitrator suspended pending investigation
Through a statement, the PGMOL reported that assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis will not participate in any match again of the Premier League while the investigation of the case is ongoing.
Once the investigation is finished, it will be decided if the standard-bearer is entitled to a punishment, since this case is considered an unprecedented event, in addition it is not clear if the linesman’s elbow hits Robertson’s face, who in the shots taken from the stands does not complain about a blow, although he does react to the referee’s gesture.
The football regulations applied to players, it is considered an aggression in the act of giving or attempting to hit an opponent, a situation that would apply in the case of Constantine Hatzidakis, who at least tries to attack the footballer. It will remain pending to follow this case and see how the English soccer authorities act and how much it differs from the sanction applied to Fernando Hernández in Liga MX, who was suspended for 12 games, although with pay.
