Hatzidakis Apologises to Robertson Over Elbow

Posted by atmatem3 on August 1st, 2023

The Football Association has taken no action against assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis after it appeared he elbowed Andy Robertson during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday. Instead, this official has issued an apology letter directly to Robertson himself.

At half-time of last weekend's match at Anfield, Sky Sports cameras caught Hatzidakis seemingly throwing his arm up and making contact with Robertson.

The incident

Hatzidakis appears to have made contact with Robertson with an apparent raised arm as they left for half-time interval. Following an intense exchange, several Liverpool team-mates approached referee Paul Tierney with their concerns regarding this incident.

However, following an investigation over four days that followed, the FA has now confirmed that Hatzidakis will not face any further actions from them.

After reviewing "multiple angles" of video footage and taking statements from officials, players and witnesses, the FA has reached their decision regarding Hatzidakis: no punishment will be meted out to him.

Now he will return to officiating. Hatzidakis released a statement through PGMOL wherein he confirmed helping the FA with their investigation, while speaking with Robertson in an open and positive dialogue.

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The apology

The Football Association will take no further action against assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis following an investigation of his suspected elbowing of Andy Robertson during Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, after halftime had passed. This incident proved to be one of several highlights during an otherwise exciting match.

PGMOL had earlier this week suspended Hatzidakis pending their investigation of the incident; however, after reviewing footage and statements from both parties and interviewing witnesses regarding what took place during that incident, FA have determined that no further action will be taken against him.

Hatzidakis offered his apology to Robertson over the incident on Sunday and has spoken with the Scotland international since then on Zoom about it; Robertson appears to have accepted Hatzidakis' gesture of good will.

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The FA’s decision

The Football Association (FA) has decided not to take action against assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis after an incident at half time of Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal where Robertson approached Hatzidakis to lodge a protest over an controversial call made during the first half. Robertson approached Hatzidakis after hearing the whistle for half time and attempted to contact him about an issue which had come up during play earlier.

Hatzidakis raised his arm and threw it at Robertson, which appeared to hit him in the chin. Sky Sports pundits working the game captured this shocking incident on camera.

Hatzidakis has spoken with Robertson and apologized for what occurred, while fully cooperating with FA and PGMOL's Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb during their investigation.

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The media’s reaction

Hatzidakis' apology to Robertson over his apparent elbow 'incident' has caused controversy within the media. The England assistant referee raised his arm towards Robertson on half-time during Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Arsenal last weekend and raised it towards Robertson at that moment - raising some eyebrows as it occurred at a very unexpected time.

Hatzidakis' actions were astonishing to witness and it is truly saddening that no further disciplinary measures will be taken against him by the FA. After conducting a four-day review of video footage and statements from players and match officials regarding what transpired - as well as being caught on tape by Sky Sports - no action have been taken against Hatzidakis by FA.

Clashes between players and officials have occurred numerous times before; usually those in a position of authority receive suspensions; one notable case involves Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic receiving an eight-match ban after pushing referee Chris Kavanagh two months prior.