Callum Wilson has weighed in on the incident which saw Andy Robertson elbowed by linesman Constantine Hatzidakis during half time of Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
The official has been stepped down for all upcoming fixtures until an FA investigation into the incident is completed.
Although former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has attempted to pin the blame on our No. 26, Wilson admits he was surprised at the incident and that he ‘couldn’t believe’ what he was watching.
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe what I was watching,” Wilson told The Footballer’s Football Podcast (as quoted by Rousing The Kop). “I know everyone is human and you make mistakes, and you are having a reaction when someone is on your shoulder talking to you.
“You know like when someone is on your shoulder and you just want to shrug them off, Robertson is like a similar height, so when he has shrugged him off, he has caught him on the chin and Robertson does look shocked!
“It’s a tricky one because look what happened with Mtirovic when he touched the ref in nowhere near the same circumstances.
“This guy has thrown an elbow! What’s going on!?
“[If it was the other way round], he would have [been shown] a red card straight away; he wouldn’t be coming out for the second half, which I thought might happen – they would put the fourth official as the linesman – but I guess maybe they can’t do that, you know.
“But, yeah, it’s a sticky one for him!”
It really was a bizarre incident and something that’s never really been seen before.
We understand that Robertson did initially make contact with the official but there’s no excuse for what Hatzidakis did.
If the Scotsman had raised his elbow towards an official it would be a completely different story and he probably would’ve already been handed a lengthy suspension and a hefty fine.
It’s refreshing to see a current professional coming out and speaking so honestly about the incident like Wilson has here.