Assistant referee removed as PGMOL investigates Robertson’s “elbow” incident
Constantine Hatzidakis, an assistant referee, will not work any games while being looked into for a possible elbow on Andy Robertson of Liverpool. During Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, Hatzidakis appeared to react after being confronted by Robertson.
Keith Hackett, the former head of the PGMOL, told BBC Radio Five Live: “Ultimately, if he is found guilty of this, his career is in jeopardy. “I was trying to find an excuse for why he did it, and I came up with: was he in fear? He shouldn’t be because he’s in a protected environment with plenty of security.
“But he reacted in a way that he shouldn’t have reacted at the end of the day and here we are talking about a match official and not a decision, but an action by a match official – and he’s clearly lost his composure.”
The Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, whose side is fighting Arsenal for the title, did not see the incident but said it would be “weird” if it happened in the way some have described it to him.
“I heard it, but I didn’t see it. I was watching Bayern Munich and golf,” Guardiola said before Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final, first leg against Bayern. “I saw highlights afterwards, but I didn’t see that.
“They told me something happened but I didn’t see the image, so I cannot comment. But it’s weird, if what the people said to me happened.”
