Charity referee calls for points deduction and rules change after incident between Liverpool and Arsenal

Assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis appeared to nudge Andy Robertson in the weekend’s Liverpool-Arsenal match and a charity of the referee spoke.

A charity that helps represent referees has called for tougher penalties for players confronting match officials after the incident in this weekend’s Liverpool-Arsenal match in which assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis appeared to elbow Andy Robertson.

In recent weeks, Fulham forward Aleksandar Mitrović has been handed an eight-match ban for shoving referee Chris Cavanagh when he lost his head during a match against Manchester United, while Bruno Fernandes escaped retroactive action for contact with assistant Adam Nunn at Anfield.

Now Ref Support UK, an independent charity which promotes the interests of officials, is calling for action to protect referees, with CEO Martin Cassidy suggesting the Robertson incident is part of a worrying trend.

“It appears the officer was off duty,” Cassidy told The Mirror. “And if it was intentional and it was aggressive, then he should be disqualified like any other player – not longer, but for the same amount of time]. The lessons here are: what did a player do when he fouled in a game ? Officially again?”

Robertson was furious at the incident, which Cassidy condemned, in which the Liverpool left-back was caught by the assistant referee during a move described by former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher as something he had “never heard or seen before”.

“You have to address the outcome, but you also have to address the cause,” Cassidy continued. “What made him hit that elbow in the face? He grabbed a match official. What happened to Mitrović? He grabbed a match official. What happened to Fernandes? He touched a match official. Do not touch a match official. It’s not rocket science.

“We asked for a two-metre rule. We got it because of Covid. It would have been very easy to say: ‘If you approach within two meters of a match official, uninvited, aggressively, you will get a yellow card or be expelled.” At the moment there are no borders.

“Penalties don’t work at any level of football. This is the wrong approach. We need to start deducting points. So if someone is found guilty of abusing a referee, that person’s team loses points. The deterrence will be there.”

A statement from PGMOL this morning said: “PGMOL will not be able to select Constantine Hatzidakis to play in any of the competitions in which he serves while the FA investigates the incident involving assistant referee and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at Anfield.”

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During the game, the panel of on-ice officials confirmed that they would investigate the incident after the game was over.

Also…

Roy Keane slammed Andy Robertson’s ‘baby’ comment during crushing attack by ex-Liverpool striker

Stan Collymore launched a scathing attack on Roy Keane’s pandit skills after the Manchester United legend called Andy Robertson a ‘big baby’ in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.

Robertson was at the center of a controversial incident amid an entertaining game at Anfield over the weekend when fourth official Constantine Hatzidakis was accused of elbowing the Scotland captain in the face.

Mr Hatzidakis has since been sacked from interim duties pending an investigation, but Keane slammed Liverpool defender Robertson during Sky Sports’ half-time and full-time analysis.

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“Do you know what he is? This Robertson,” Keane said. “I’ve watched him a couple of times. He’s a big baby. That’s what this guy is.”

The claim made Micah Richards, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville, who were also on analysis duty, laugh, but Collymore, who spent two years at Anfield between 1995 and 1997, failed to see the funny side.

In his column for Caught Offside, the former Reds striker lashed out at former Ireland international Keane, saying his analysis was designed to shock on purpose only to go viral online.

“One thing I didn’t like during the linesman and Robertson incident was Roy Keane’s comments,” Collymore wrote. “I have endless respect for Keane as a player. He was a superb midfielder – dynamic, fast and a leader among men. Our paths crossed briefly – he left Nottingham Forest when I arrived but I find his expertise really interesting.”

“To call Robertson a ‘big baby’ because of his reaction to being nudged by the linesman was inappropriate. Robertson was just a good pro for Liverpool and won the same caliber of trophies as Keane , but not as much. But calling another pro a “big baby” when you see how he’s performed throughout his career is completely wrong.

“When Keane first arrived at the Sky Sports studio, I expected to get a glimpse of the mentality of a series winner and how that might or might not affect players in certain situations, but that doesn’t hasn’t happened to him at all – quite a bit of what it’s supposed to be just a viral 30 second clip on social media.”

Collymore added: “The way he talks is like ‘I was the hardest working player with the highest standards that ever lived’ – and that’s true in so many ways, which is why he’s a such a driving force for Manchester United, but his panditry has sometimes descended into comedy.

“Sky Sports encourages him to say something controversial just for the clicks and views.

“I have no problem with an expert providing constructive criticism and feedback on a player’s behavior or performance, but for Keane to lash out at a player who has performed well when he doesn’t He was no saint is just hypocritical in my opinion because let’s face it, if Keane was the perfect player he would have won the Champions League in a United shirt in 1999 but he was suspended for the final.”

Arsenal will be delighted with Roberto Firmino’s move after Liverpool drama Jurgen Klopp addressed the incident involving Andy Robertson and linesman PGMOL, after linesman Andy Robertson appeared to nudge Andy Robertson after a clash with Constantine Hatzidakis became “apoplectic”. Jurgen Klopp’s error was spotted after Mohamed Salah’s penalty mistake against Arsenal