Forgive the linesman, his life is not easy – 04/14/2023 – Marina Izidro

It happened shortly after the end of the 1st half between Liverpool and Arsenal, at Anfield, on Sunday (9). Players started to leave the field and Andy Robertson, from Liverpool, went after the linesman. He bumped into Constantine Hatzidakis to complain about something, the assistant removed his arm and seemed to hit the full-back under the chin with his elbow. Robertson, scared, was taken towards the locker room by Mohamed Salah.

The public probably didn’t even notice, because the match was already tense, with both teams under pressure – Arsenal trying not to let the Premier League lead slip away in the final stretch; Liverpool wanting to finish the league in a decent position in the table. But the roundtables and social media patrol jumped into action at the time, even calling for the linesman to be banned and using as an example a recent incident in which Fulham’s Serb Aleksandar Mitrovic was suspended for eight games for pushing the referee. There were as many or more repercussions than the 2-2 draw.

The English assistant was removed and an investigation began. A former English Premier League referee defended his colleague on TV, saying that Hatzidakis, 38, intimidating, Massaranduba-like, big, strong, is a kind and dedicated guy.

To reporters who were on duty in front of his house, Hatzidakis said he only tried to free his arm when he was held by Robertson. Days later, the Football Association of England announced that there would be no punishment. Hatzidakis apologized to the Scottish full-back, which were accepted. Follow the game.

The move entered the list of oddities in the normally ultra-civilized Premier League and shocked not because of the act itself, but because it was done by someone on the refereeing team against a player, not the other way around.

Hatzidakis’ attitude is unacceptable and no type of violence can be justified. But I’m left wondering how difficult it must be for someone in this profession to put on a face 100% of the time.

Referees and linesmen spend their lives being cursed, confronted, they are the eternal punching bag of human frustrations. Had a stressful day? Just go to the stadium and offend his mother. It was not? Curses on Twitter. And because they don’t typically speak out publicly, their side of the story is rarely heard. It is even difficult to understand why someone chooses this job.

From a professional point of view, it is an obligation to maintain control even when men with salary and fame far greater than yours scream in your face and try to destabilize you. Looking at the human side, a reaction like Hatzidakis at some point in his career is understandable.

As organized as English football is these days, discussing aggression in sport is nothing new around here (former hooligans and Eric Cantona say so).

An analysis of the case in The Guardian brings the point of view that the video referee would be one of those responsible for the current moments of tension; that the introduction of technology made on-field referees look weak and easier to persuade, and affected the behavior of players and coaches. And to make matters worse, refereeing errors are now shown through VAR for the whole world to see.

A punishment for Hatzidakis would be adequate, but banishment? Forgive the linesman, folks.

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