The Football Association will take no continuous action against Constantine Hatzidakis who elbowed Liverpool defender Andy Robertson during their 2-2 share of the spoils with Arsenal last Sunday.
Hatzidakis’s elbow connected with the face of Andy Robertson as the Scotland international approached him for a conversation.
It was an uncommon incident which prompted the PGMOL and FA to reveal to everyone that they would be conducting an investigation over the occurrence.
Constantine Hatzidakis is believed to have had a conversation with PGMOL chief Howard Webb on Sunday night and he was saddened by what had transpired.
PGMOL have decided that Constantine Hatzidakis would not officiate in any match next weekend amid calls for the revered Hatzidakis to be banned but the Englishman has since had a conversation with Robertson and apologized to him.
After having their own discussion on the incident, the FA are content that no additional action needs to be taken over what occurred.
The FA Statement on the incident
A statement put out by the FA reads: “We have thoroughly reviewed all of the evidence in relation to the recent incident at Anfield involving the Liverpool defender and match official, and we will be taking no further action.
“Our comprehensive process involved reviewing detailed statements from Liverpool and PGMOL, as well as multiple angles of video footage, in relation to both the incident and its surrounding circumstances.”
The 38-year-old said he looks forward to returning to games, and his statement read: “I fully assisted the FA with their investigation and have discussed the matter directly with Andy Robertson during an open and positive conversation.
Constantine Hatzidaki added: “It was not my intention to make any contact with Andy as I pulled my arm away from him and for that I have apologised.
“I look forward to returning to officiating matches.”
After the encounter, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was not able to give his thoughts fully on the incident, stating: “I know it happened but I didn’t watch it.
“If it happened, the pictures will speak for themselves.”
Who is Constantine Hatzidakis?
Constantine Hatzidakis was born on the 23rd of November in 1984 and the 38-year-old has been refereeing for over 25 years.
Due to the fact that he began refereeing at the age of 14 during his college days and he was a wonderful athlete and he lifted a lot of titles.
He has been more of an assistant referee in matches and the Englishman has rarely been a centre referee in an encounter.
Constantine Hatzidakis is highly respected and his great performances earned him the opportunity to officiate in international games.
In 2010, he was assigned the role of an assistant referee for the UEFA Europa League Final clash involving Atlético Madrid and Fulham FC, in Hamburg, Germany.
His dedication and hard work paid off when he was picked to be an assistant referee at the 2014 FIFA World Cup that went down in Brazil.
During the year 2018, Hatzidakis became an English Premier League referee and was promoted to the top-flight as an assistant referee.
Constantine Hatzidakis has also refereed English Football League matches as a match official.
