In full investigation into the incident carried out by Paul Tierney’s assistant at Anfield and once it has been confirmed that he has been removed from arbitration for now, there are many voices that are speaking out about it in England. “PGMOL will not appoint Constantine Hatzidakis for matches in any of the competitions it serves while the FA investigates the incident involving assistant referee and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at Anfield”, the English referees association published in a statement a day after the game. After the protests seen on the pitch of the players networksJürgen Klopp’s statements were the first.
“I know what happened, but I didn’t see it. If it happened, the images will speak for themselves.”, affirmed in the first instance the German coach. In post-match statements, the German coach acknowledged not having seen anything: “I can’t give you the answers.” Asked if the referees had contacted the club, Jürgen Klopp replied that “No. They don’t come to us, if we want something we have to go to them. And I didn’t want anything.
What the German coach did say is that “we had our problems with some referees…”, since the story between Andy Robertson and Paul Tierney, a Liverpool-Arsenal referee, goes back a long time. Coincidence or not, this was the same assistant referee for Paul Tierney who was present at the 2021 Tottenham-Liverpool match in which Andy Robertson was sent off. Jürgen Klopp, who charged against the referees for the non-expulsion of Harry Kane, even stated: “I have no problems with any referee, only with you.”
Although the images are clear, and you can see how the assistant hits Andy Robertson in the face, there are those who hit the Scottish footballer himself networks. “He should be more concerned about his defense. Know what it is? That Robertson, I’ve seen him several times. It’s a big baby. That’s what that guy is.”said Roy Keane, former Manchester United footballer, in sky sports.
The former referees speak
Mark Halsey, former Premier League referee charged against Constantine Hatzidakis. Through a text published in the sunhe wrote: “I have heard people say that this is the end of the linesman’s career, but, like Aleksandar Mitrovic, it is his full-time job. However, if he is proven guilty and used the elbow intentionally, he will face the same consequences as the Fulham striker.. The referees are the guardians of the rules and must be held accountable if they are found guilty of that type of behavior towards a player.” In addition, Mark Halsey was also involved in talkSPORT to comment on the facts.
There are those who have more doubts. Mark Clattenburg, in the Daily Mail, claims to have “studied the footage to be reviewed by PGMOL and all angles suggest that Andrew Robertson initiated contact with Constantine Hatzidakis before the referee reacted by moving his arm.” The former English referee believes that “Howard Webb (president of the PGMOL) will speak now with Constantine Hatzidakis to know his version of the events. He should also ask Andy Robertson what happened.”.
In the case of Keith Hackett, former head of the referees, he believes that “If (Constantine Hatzidakis) is found guilty of this, his career will be in jeopardy”. speaking for BBC Radio Five Livethe former English referee says that he tries “an excuse to explain why he did it and it occurred to me: Was I scared? You shouldn’t have it, because it’s in a very secure protected environment. He reacted in a way that he shouldn’t have reacted, and here we are talking about a referee and not a decision, but an action by a referee, and It’s clear that he lost his composure.”.
