Chris Sutton insists assistant ref must be banned after Andy Robertson incident

09 April 2023 , 18:27

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Chris Sutton insists assistant ref must be banned after Andy Robertson incident

Chris Sutton says assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis must be BANNED after appearing to elbow Liverpool defender Andy Robertson in the throat.

After the whistle was blown for half-time in Sunday’s Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal, Robertson appeared to remonstrate with and possibly make contact with the assistant referee.

Hatzidakis then appeared to throw up his arm, leading to Robertson motioning he had been elbowed in the face. He was led away by teammates including Mohamed Salah and received a yellow card.

Roy Keane branded Robertson “a big baby” after the extraordinary clash, which saw Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson complain to officials, while Scotland captain Robertson raged in the Anfield tunnel, insisting: "He’s just elbowed me in the throat, the linesman has elbowed me in the throat!"

The PGMOL have confirmed that they will review the incident. A statement read: "PGMOL is aware of an incident involving assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at half-time during the Liverpool v Arsenal fixture at Anfield.”

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No action was taken at half-time and the assistant continued to run the line in the second half.

Sky Sports footage showed the apparent elbow on Robertson (Sky Sports)

Jordan Henderson of Liverpool shakes hands with Assistant Referee Constantine Hatzidakis at full-time (Getty Images)

But former Celtic and Chelsea striker Sutton has questioned how the official can continue in his position without being reprimanded.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sutton declared: "I really don’t know what he [assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis] was thinking. As far as I can see, he has to be banned.

"He will have to sit out a number of games. I can’t remember another incident like this. Where is the precedent set for these things?

"A big debating point was Aleksandar Mitrovic and the eight game ban and the FA want him banned for more but you can’t have assistants throwing elbows. What should the punishment be?"

Liverpool came back from two goals down to claim a dramatic 2-2 draw with the Premier League leaders, in a feisty encounter on Merseyside.

Alex Richards