Andy Robertson elbow linesman suspended indefinitely
Referee assistant Constantine Hatzidakis has been indefinitely suspended by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after he “pushed” Liverpool defender during their match against Arsenal in the 30th round of the English Premier League.
The incident occurred when Robertson approached Hatzidakis to complain about his decisions and was unexpectedly “pushed” in the face. Robertson was shocked by Hatzidakis’ reaction and accused him of violent behavior. After the match, the Scottish national team player stated that Hatzidakis had pushed him, while the assistant referee claimed he had only “shrugged his shoulders.”
The Football Association (FA) investigated Hatzidakis’ behavior towards Robertson after reviewing the match footage. As a result, the PGMOL announced that they would indefinitely suspend Hatzidakis from his duties while the FA investigates the matter.
According to English media, the FA will consider imposing a “cooling-off” period on Hatzidakis, similar to the suspensions given to players when referees overlook their fouls. In the case of players, a similar action would be considered a violent conduct offense, resulting in a minimum three-match ban.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey suggested that Hatzidakis should be banned for at least eight matches, similar to the punishment that Fulham forward Aleksandar Mitrovic received for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh. He even suggested that referees should be punished more severely than players, as they are the ones who “hold the balance of power.
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