Richard Keys says the FA’s failure to punish Bruno Fernandes ‘has come back to bite them’
Richard Keys has claimed the FA’s failure to penalize Bruno Fernandes for shoving a linesman has ‘come back to bite them’ after Constantine Hatzidakis lashed out at Andy Robertson.
The Manchester United midfielder avoided a penalty despite appearing to push linesman Adam Nunn out of the way in their 7-0 defeat to Liverpool last month.
Now the FA must make a decision after Hatzidakis appeared to elbow Robertson at half-time in Liverpool’s thrilling 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
Keys compared the two incidents in his latest blog. He wrote: We may never know exactly what happened at half-time when Robertson and assistant Hatzidakis came to blows.
‘The photos are not good for the lino, but I hope it escapes censorship – just as Bruno Fernandes did on the same ground.
Bruno Fernandes escaped punishment for shoving a linesman against Liverpool last month
Andy Robertson appeared to have been pushed by linesman Constantine Hatzidakis on Sunday
Richard Keys said the FA’s failure to punish Fernandes has ‘come back to bite them’
“I said then that Fernandes should have been charged. The FA rightfully threw the book at Mitrovic, but a week or two before that incident at Old Trafford, they released Fernandes after he engaged an assistant. To see. These things come back to bite you.
“As Robertson approached Hatzikakis, maybe the aide was concerned about his safety? He would have every right to.
What an irony that Liverpool paid the FA a further £75,000 last week for not checking their players during the recent game against City. That was after a combined £60,000 with Everton after the derby. In total, PL clubs have been fined £1.3 million this season for referee abuse – Arsenal contributed £185,000.
Robertson was criticized by Man United legend Roy Keane after the Liverpool v Arsenal match – describing him as a ‘big baby’.
Keys agreed with Keane’s comments, but also accused both the former midfielder and fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville of “inventing referee abuse.”
Keys accused Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Roy Keane of ‘inventing referee abuse’ during their time at Manchester United
He added: “Robertson had no right to confront the assistant at half-time. I don’t often agree with Roy Keane, but he was right when he said that Robertson acted “like a baby.”
Mind you – let’s not forget that Keane, Neville and co are the inventors of referee abuse. Just ask Andy D’Urso.’
The incident Keys is likely referring to is from a game between Manchester United and Middlesbrough in January 2000 when D’Urso awarded the visitors a penalty when Juninho was tackled by Jaap Stam.
Keane and five other United players, including Stam, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Denis Irwin, gathered around D’Urso to protest the decision.
Sky Sports reported that D’Urso “feared for his safety” and Keane admitted that he and his teammates “went over the top.”
Hatzidakis will not officiate a game while the Football Association investigates the incident at Anfield.
The linesman was removed from the list of refereeing appointments on Monday pending the outcome of a review. There have been calls for him to be suspended, as Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic was handed an eight-match ban last month for shoving referee Chris Kavanagh.
Robertson, left, claimed he was punched in the throat during halftime of the game
Liverpool protested to referee Paul Tierney after the linesman incident
Hatzidakis thrust his right elbow at Robertson after the Liverpool defender confronted him during half-time of their draw with Arsenal.
Robertson was stunned and angrily claimed to teammates and club staff, “The linesman elbowed me in the throat.”
The refereeing body, the PGMOL, headed by Howard Webb, said in a statement Monday: “We will not be appointing Constantine Hatzidakis to matches in any of the leagues it serves while the FA is investigating the incident.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he had not seen it live but added ‘the pictures speak for themselves’.
Robertson received a yellow card from referee Paul Tierney afterwards. Tierney and Hatzidakis also oversaw Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham last season when Robertson was sent off.
It is also clear that the FA will view the matter in much the same way as if a player were guilty of such an offense out of sight of the match referee.
Such an act would usually be classified as ‘violent conduct’ and would carry a three match suspension.
Hatzidakis will not be involved in any matches until the FA has completed their investigation
Keith Hackett, former head of the PGMOL, told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘If he is ultimately found guilty of this, his career will be in jeopardy.
“I was trying to find an excuse why he did it and I thought if he was scared? He shouldn’t be, because he’s in a protected environment with adequate security.
“But he reacted in a way he shouldn’t have reacted at the end of the day and here we are talking about a match official and not a decision, but an action by a match official – and he has clearly lost his cool.”
Hatzidakis spoke publicly about the incident for the first time on Tuesday, saying he is prepared for whatever the Football Association decides.
Speaking at his home in South London, he said: ‘Whatever happens, happens. I can’t say more at the moment. I can’t talk about what happened.’