Who is Constantine Hatzidakis? The assistant referee who elbowed Andrew Robertson

Jacque Talbot

• 10 Apr 2023 16:12 BST
• 3 min read

During Sunday's match between Liverpool and Arsenal, assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis landed himself in trouble after elbowing Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson - but just who is the official?

The Premier League sides faced off at Anfield to a 2-2 draw. Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring for the Gunners, before Gabriel Jesus doubled their lead. In the second-half, the home side clawed the proceedings back - with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino sealing the points.

But the game was not without controversy. Hatzidakis appeared to launch an elbow to the head of Robertson, with the footage going viral after being picked up by Sky Sports.

As a result, the Football Association has launched an investigation, with the assistant referee has been taken off duty.

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Hatzidakis, who is 38 years old, started his refereeing career at the age of 14 after realising that he would not be able to play football professionally. Before refereeing, he also competed at a national level in rugby and swimming.

Hatzidakis comes from a family of Panathinaikos fans and is believed to be a Charlton supporter.

🚨🆕 Premier League assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis will not be involved in any matches whilst the FA investigates the incident with Andy Robertson, reports BBC Sport. pic.twitter.com/fUTZQ36MLo

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) April 10, 2023

After going through a referee academy in South East London with Charlton, Hatzidakis worked his way up to the Premier League four years ago as an assistant referee. Despite being involved in several EFL matches as a referee, he decided to dedicate himself to being an assistant referee in the Premier League.

Hatzidakis has been involved in every Premier League game so far this season either as an assistant or on VAR duties. However, this controversy is not his first as an official. He has been involved in other contentious incidents in the past, including denying

Nottingham Forest a penalty in a promotion decider.

Eight-game ban?

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has called for Hatzidakis to receive an eight-match ban.

He told TalkSport: “If Mitrovic has been banned for a technical assault, they could say that the assistant referee has technically assaulted a player.

“So you're looking at two similar incidents aren't ya? If found guilty, he has to suffer the consequences of an eight-game ban. They set the precedent, haven't they?”