The end of the first half between Liverpool and Arsenal has caused quite a stir, especially after linesman Constantine Hatzidakis was accused of throwing an elbow against Andrew Robertson and hitting him in the face. The player's angry reaction has forced the English FA and refereeing body PGMOL to take action, and things are not looking so bright for the referee as we speak.
Earlier today, PGMOL released a statement where they have taken initial action against Hatzidakis.
"PGMOL will not be appointing Constantine Hatzidakis to fixtures in any of the competition it serves whilst The FA investigates the incident involving the assistant referee and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at Anfield," the document reads.
This incident comes days after Aleksandar Mitrovic was handed an eight-match ban for shoving referee Chris Kavanagh in a game between Fulham and Manchester United. Considering that Mitrovic was handed such a lengthy punishment, it seems that Hatzidakis could be given a similar sanction.
Former refs have shared their thoughts on the incident, and even if Robertson pushed the linesman to the limit, his reaction was not what you would expect from a man in charge of overseeing the rules of the game.
"Players can push us officials to the limit. They can provoke to the point where you are probably tempted to give them something in return. But under no circumstances can we can respond. Certainly not physically," former ref Mark Clattenburg wrote on the Daily Mail.
A similar incident took place last week in Liga MX, where referee Fernando Hernández was handed a 12-game ban for hitting one of Club León's players with his knee. If the English FA want more examples on how Hatzidakis could be punished once the investigation is over, that could also be a good example.
