Fernando Hernandez, Constantine Hatzidakis: 5 Times Referees Attacked Players After Andy Robertson Incident

Fernando Hernandez, Constantine Hatzidakis: 5 Times Referees Attacked Players After Andy Robertson Incident

Martin Moses
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:30 PM
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  • Andy Robertson's incident is under investigation after a linesman elbowed him on April 9
  • The incident happened during a Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal
  • Though rare, there are other isolated incidents when match officials attacked players

Arsenal's enthralling game vs Liverpool at Anfield on, April 9, was marred by a terrible incident, after a linesman appeared to elbow Andy Robertson during halftime.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited(PGMOL), the body responsible for match officials, has since confirmed that the linesman Constantine Hatzidakis has been put under immediate investigation.

Fernando Hernandez, Constantine Hatzidakis, Alexis Meza, Tony Chapron, Andrew Robertson
Liverpool's Andrew Robertson appeals to assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool, on April 9. Photo by Nick Potts.
Source: Getty Images

Fans and many stakeholders have called for serious punishment, given that if the tables were turned, Robertson could have paid heavily. Aleksandr Mitrovic is currently serving an eight-match ban for shoving Chris Kavanagh.

The Hatzidakis incident has given us the perfect excuse to review the other times referees attacked players and what happened to them.

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1. Tony Chapron

This could easily pass as a classic case of revenge. The Ligue 1 referee was accidentally tripped by Nantes defender Diego Carlos. Chapron, however, angrily reacted by attempting to take him down with a studs-up challenge during a counterattack.

To makes matters worse, Carlos, now at Aston Villa, was given a second yellow card. Luckily, the red card decision was rescinded and Chapron was handed a six-month ban.

2. Fernando Hernandez

The Liga MX referee was spotted by TV replays assaulting Lucas Romero by raising his knee towards the player's groin area.

The incident happened during a match between Club America and Leon. Romero complained of a decision that did not go his team's way. For his troubles, he was booked and got a knee.

Hernandez was hit with a 12-match ban.

3. Darren Drysdale

This could easily have turned into a full-scale brawl were it not for the quick interceptions by the surrounding players.

Ipswich Town’s Alan Judge got more than what he had bargained for when he squared up with referee Drysdale during their game against Northampton.

Judge had perhaps thought he could air his disagreement with the referee and walk away, only for Drysdale to lean forward and confront him.

The referee was left out of the subsequent EFL games.

4. Alexis Meza

While the EFL game did not generate into chaos, an Argentina match pitting Ocampo Fabrica and Hura in 2017 did.

The incident in Lionel Messi's homeland started when referee Alexis Meza gave out a second yellow card to a player, Carlos Godoy.

In Meza's defence, Godoy threw the first punches(from minute 5:05), seemingly incensed with the decision. Meza then reacted by throwing a couple of his own as other players and officials stepped in.

5. Constantine Hatzidakis

Sports Brief reported that much talk will be centred around Paul Tierney's decisions, with the official dishing out five cards in the first half. The hosts got three, but more peculiarly, will be the one awarded to Andrew Robertson.

The Scot was yellow-carded after the halftime whistle had gone, with captain Jordan Henderson leading the inquisition as to why his teammate had been booked.

Video evidence has now shown that the Reds fullback was elbowed by the linesman. Robertson appeared to voice his discontent with the linesman before Constantine Hatzidakis (linesman) swung his arm and appeared to catch the 29-year-old.

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Martin Moses
Martin Moses is a sports journalist with over five years of experience in media. He graduated from Multimedia University of Kenya (Bachelor of Journalism, 2017-2021)
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