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      Calls for linesman to get EIGHT-MATCH ban after ‘elbowing’ Andy Robertson as pundit calls it ‘unprecedented’

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      FOOTBALL pundits have called for a ban on the controversial linesman who appeared to elbow Andy Robertson during the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Arsenal.The Reds and the Gunners drew 2-2 after goals by Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino cancelled out Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus’ strikes.
      Liverpool star Andy Robertson appeared to have been elbowed by the linesman
      Pundits have called for linesman Constantine Hatzidakis to be banned
      Hatzidakis could be in trouble after appearing to elbow RobertsonCredit: EPA
      But assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis stole the headlines at half-time during a shocking moment between him and Liverpool’s Robertson.
      The full-back approached Hatzidakis and replays appear to show Hatzidakis strike the full-back.
      Referees’ body the PGMOL has announced it will investigate the alleged elbow.
      And former England international Darren Bent quickly took to Twitter and called for an eight-game ban, just like Fulham star Aleksandar Mitrovic was penalised.
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      Bent tweeted: “8 game ban for the linesman.”
      Mitrovic is currently serving an eight-game ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh in their FA Cup loss at Manchester United on 19 March.
      Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton was watching the game for BBC Radio 5 Live and thinks Hatzidakis should be punished for the “unprecedented” reaction.
      Sutton said: “I really don’t know what he was thinking. As far as I can see, he has to be banned.
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      “He will have to sit out a number of games. I can’t remember another incident like this. Where is the precedent for these things?”
      Sutton added: “A big debating point was Mitrovic and the eight-game ban and the FA want him banned for more but you can’t have assistants throwing elbows. What should the punishment be?”
      PGMOL’s statement said it was “aware of an incident involving assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at half-time during the Liverpool v Arsenal fixture at Anfield”.
      The statement added the body will “review the matter in full” after a fiery encounter at Anfield. More

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      Referee forced to deny explosive claims he arrived for match DRUNK and fought with fans after he is replaced for game

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      A REFEREE denied “fake news” claiming he and three other officials arrived drunk and fought other passengers before officiating a match in Greece.First official Pawel Raczkowski, his assistants Radoslaw Siejka as well as Adam Kupcik and VAR ref Krzysztof Jakubik have categorically denied those reports and stated they were in fact the ones assaulted.
      Referees deny reports claiming they showed up drunk before officiating in GreeceCredit: Reuters
      According to Sport24, the four refs landed in an intoxicated state at Athens International Airport on Saturday, something that was “confirmed” by AEK Athens who were set to face Aris with the Polish refs officiating tonight at OPAP Arena.
      There were also claims the referee didn’t communicate with Greece’s football governing body EPO and “disappeared” after the alleged incident.
      However, Raczkowski immediately slammed those reports and insists he and his associates met with the body’s chief referee and former Premier League official Steve Bennett soon after.
      The Polish referee added that he and his colleagues were actually the ones who were threatened and assaulted by two people claiming to be Panathinaikos fans.
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      He added that he was “spat” at in the face and “pushed” by the alleged assailants until security intervened.
      Raczkowski issued the following statement: “In relation to the news bulletin about the purported situation at Athens International Airport from the 8th of April 2023, I want to categorically deny being intoxicated or exhibiting aggressive behaviour.
      “I was attacked by two Greek speaking Polish men. They identified themselves as Panathinaikos supporters and attacked me first, verbally accusing me of match-fixing, secondly physically by spitting on me an [sic] then pushing me.
      “I reported the situation to airport security who calmed the aggressive individuals down.
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      Referees met with Superleague chief ref Steve Bennett after the incidentCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      “After this I went directly to the hotel where I stayed all night. I deny all fake news about myself and the whole referee team.”
      According to Sport.pl, PZPN Referees Board chairman Tomasz Mikulski backed Raczkowski’s version of events.
      EPO made the decision to replace the four refs with Greek counterparts, led by Aristotelis Diamantopoulos, even though it was decided only international officials would oversee the play-offs.
      That led to a fiery response from Olympiacos, who are owned by Nottingham Forest supremo Evangelos Marinakis.
      The reigning Greek champions described the “made up” incident as a “coup”, a “disgrace” as well as “badly written show” and labelled EPO chiefs as a “gang”. More

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      Fuming Man Utd fans ask ‘how is this allowed’ after ‘baffling’ referee selection for Everton clash

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      MANCHESTER UNITED fans fumed after Newcastle supporter Michael Oliver was named referee for their game against Everton. The Red Devils welcome Sean Dyche’s side to Old Trafford in a vital game at both ends of the table.
      Man Utd fans have been left raging at the Premier League’s decisionCredit: Getty
      Referee Michael Oliver is a Newcastle fanCredit: Getty
      United and Newcastle are both level on points in third and fourth coming into the game as the two sides eye a spot in next year’s Champions League.
      And surprisingly, Geordie referee Oliver has been appointed official for Man Utd’s match today.
      One fan said: “How is this allowed?”
      Another reacted: “The refs are going to f*** us over.”
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      A third added: “Absolute corruption! If we don’t win now you know what people are going to say.”
      More joked that they were going to bet on a Man Utd player being sent off.
      The decision to hand Oliver with Paul Tierney on VAR comes as a shock as he previously admitted he could not ref matches that could impact Newcastle’s league position late in the season.
      Supporters have dug up old quotes where he said: “I never referee Newcastle games.
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      “We have to declare if we have an allegiance to any club or if a family member works at a club. You can’t do any match involving that team and I can’t do Sunderland, either, for obvious reasons.
      “Because Newcastle are invariably involved in a relegation battle, when you get to March or April, it means I can’t referee anyone around them towards the bottom three.”
      Man Utd do not have a great record when Oliver is official, failing to win four of their last eight matches when he is the man with the whistle. More

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      Referee sprints into crowd to perform CPR on ill fan on her DEBUT.. with 28-year-old official also medical student

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      AN Italian referee desperately tried to save a fan’s life after they fell ill in the crowd, according to reports.A supporter was taken ill in the closing stages of Thursday’s Serie D match between Vastogirardi and Avezzano.
      Thursday’s Serie A match between Vastogirardi and Avezzano was halted due to a medical emergency for a fanCredit: YOUTUBE
      Referee Cristiana Laraspata ran over to the stricken fan and performed CPRCredit: YouTube
      The stricken fan was eventually taken to a nearby hospitalCredit: YOUTUBE
      The officials and players were quickly alerted of the emergency, which prompted ref Cristiana Laraspata to stop the match.
      And she bravely ran to the crowd and provided medical treatment for the fan.
      Laraspata – who is a medical student – immediately gave the stricken fan CPR.
      But, according to Gazetta Regionale, her efforts were in vain as the fan tragically passed away.
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      The man – who has yet to be identified – is said to have passed on shortly after arriving at a nearby hospital.
      In an interview with Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, Laraspata – who was making her Serie D debut – said of the incident: “They were endless moments.
      “For a moment the gentleman even seemed to have recovered.
      “I did everything to save him ”
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      Nicola Favia – the president of the Puglia Regional Referee Committee, said of Laraspata’s bravery: “She experienced a baptism on a day she will never forget.
      “I felt calm as she was sorry for what happened, the unfortunate fate of this person is certainly a more important aspect than the sporting context in which he found himself.
      “Cristiana represented a positive example, an always valid message: life before each game.
      “We must say that she was cold and waiting for official help she was the first to rush from the field to the grandstand to operate the first intervention.
      “She was making her debut in Serie D ”.
      The fan tragically passed away shortly after arriving at the hospitalCredit: YouTube More

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      Liverpool charged after players surrounded referee at Man City as FA get tough following two Arsenal fines

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      LIVERPOOL have been charged by the FA after their players surrounded the referee in their 4-1 loss to Manchester City. The Reds were left fuming after Cody Gakpo was bundled to the floor by Rodri in the 34th minute.
      Liverpool have been charged by the FACredit: Getty
      There players surrounded the ref wanting Rodri dismissedCredit: PA
      Many players sprinted towards referee Simon Hooper to complain about the Spaniard not being shown a second yellow card after he had just been booked.
      Fabinho led the charge before Jordan Henderson, Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk stormed in.
      Captain Henderson tried to keep his team-mates away from the referee but couldn’t as tempers flared.
      An FA statement read: “Liverpool failed to ensure it’s player conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or behaved in a way that is improper.”
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      Liverpool have until April 12 to respond to the charge.
      The FA are getting tougher on player conduct towards officials with Arsenal already being fined twice.
      The Gunners were initially in trouble after their team surrounded Andy Madley after they were denied a penalty in the 0-0 draw to Newcastle.
      They were then charged for a second time for the a similar offence when protesting a decision versus Oxford in the FA Cup.
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      Fulham also had the book thrown at them after they lost their heads against Manchester United.
      Aleksandar Mitrovic has been slapped with an eight-match ban for abusing and pushing Chris Kavanagh after he sent off Willian for a handball.

      The Serbian has also been handed a £75,000 fine.
      Meanwhile, manager Marco Silva was given a two-match touchline ban for his antics in the incident.
      However, the FA are pushing tougher sanctions after the punishment was decided by an independent body. More

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      Mike Dean’s future ‘in doubt’ after he is snubbed from selection as Premier League VAR for TWO MONTHS

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      REFEREE Mike Dean’s future is in doubt after he was again not selected as a VAR official.He has now not been chosen to oversee any Premier League match for TWO MONTHS.
      Mike Dean’s future as a referee is in doubt after being snubbed for two monthsCredit: AFP
      ESPN claim that performance levels are part of the reason for him being dropped.
      Dean has not been at Stockley Park since Leicester’s 4-1 win over Tottenham on February 11.
      Since then, Howard Webb has become PGMOL’s chief and SunSport understands it’s his decision to snub the 54-year-old.
      Dean retired as an on-field referee at the end of last season after 22 years in the Premier League.
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      He has since moved to a role in the VAR hub only.
      But he has been unable to stay away from controversy when he failed to intervene to send off Spurs’ Cristian Romero when he pulled the hair of Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella.
      Webb has shaken up the PGMOL following a number of high-profile refereeing errors.
      Lee Mason failed to spot that Christian Norgaard was offside in the build-up to Ivan Toney netting an equaliser for Brentford against Arsenal in a 1-1 draw.
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      This led to Mason, who also stepped away from the pitch to be a VAR man, resigning from his role six days later.
      Human error was also blamed when John Brooks incorrectly disallowed a goal that Brighton had scored against Crystal Palace when he drew the offside line from the wrong player.
      Consequently, Brooks was taken off his appointments for two matches after.
      The Prem’s head of VAR Neil Swarbrick is also retiring at the end of this season. More

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      ‘It’s actually over’ – Arsenal fans all fear the worst as referee for crunch Liverpool clash is announced

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      LIVERPOOL and Arsenal fans might BOTH reckon Paul Tierney is the worst possible choice as referee for Sunday’s huge Premier League clash.Many Gunners’ fans blame Tierney for controversial decisions as they have lost all their last FIVE games when he has been in charge.
      Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka lead protests with referee Paul Tierney during Arsenal’s 3-1 loss at Old Trafford in SeptemberCredit: Reuters
      And after a heated match against Tottenham, Sky Sports cameras appeared to catch Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp saying: “I have no problems with any referees. Only you.”
      Tierney heads for Anfield this weekend with the Reds eighth following Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Chelsea and Arsenal eight points clear at the top from Manchester City, who visit Southampton on Saturday.
      And Gunners’ supporters seem especially twitchy.
      One posted: “Lads, it actually over” and another added: “Here we go.”
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      A third wrote: “Not one for speaking out about or against refs, but if this is true surely it’s worrying?”
      And a fourth gloomily summed up recent history.
      He tweeted: “Arsenal’s record in the last five games he has refereed: 0 wins, 0 draws, 5 losses. Sent off Holding and penalised Cedric in last season’s NLD, also disallowed Martinelli’s goal vs United this season.”
      The Gunners’ first defeat this term, 3-1 at Manchester United in September, came after perhaps the most hotly-debated of Tierney’s decisions.
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      An early Gabriel Martinelli goal was ruled out for Martin Odegaard impeding Christian Eriksen in the build-up – after VAR asked the ref in the middle to look again.
      But Odegaard protested during and following the game.
      He said: “In my opinion it is never a foul. I think the referee sees it and he says play on. It’s a soft challenge and for VAR to come in it has to be clear and obvious.
      “For me it is very, very soft. You can always make it look worse on camera. But it’s never a foul and the referee said play on so it is frustrating.”
      Klopp’s problem with Tierney dates back to a fierce 2-2 draw at Spurs in December 2021. 
      Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson saw red for a dodgy challenge on Emerson Royal but Tottenham hero Harry Kane stayed on after a similar tackle.
      Asked by Sky if the England skipper should have been sent off, Klopp said: “Yes, definitely.
      “We can give Robbo a red card, it’s not the smartest challenge of his life, that’s how it is. But that’s [Kane on Robertson] definitely a red card, no doubt about that.” More

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      World’s sexiest referee and ex-Playboy model Claudia Romani sends fans wild as she bares all in sexy bikini

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      WORLD’S sexiest referee Claudia Romani has sent fans wild by posing in a bikini on social media.Dubbed the world’s sexiest referee, Claudia has previously modelled on covers for Playboy, GQ and Cosmopolitan.
      Claudia Romani posed on a beach in MiamiCredit: Instagram @claudia_romani
      She showed off her colourful bikini for her followersCredit: Instagram @claudia_romani
      Claudia also showed off her figure for those on social mediaCredit: Instagram @claudia_romani
      And she has been known to take revealing pictures for her followers.
      Her latest snaps show her on South Beach in Miami while donning a colourful bikini.
      Alongside the images, she added the caption: “@callista.couture has the nicest, classiest… best quality bikinis ever!!! ♥️♥️♥️ What’s your favourite pic from 1 to 6?”
      To which one fan replied: “Wow, what else can I say.”
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      Claudia became a Serie A and B qualified ref in 2014Credit: Instagram @claudia_romani
      Claudia has 1.3million Instagram followersCredit: Instagram @claudia_romani
      Another added: “Wow babe you are lovely and attractive 💓💓💓
      And a third responded: “They are all spectacular… I will choose all of them.”
      Claudia became a Serie A and Serie B qualified official in 2014.
      But the 39-year-old came under fire in 2016 after pics emerged of her wearing an AC Milan shirt.
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      Earlier this year, Claudia risked getting the boot from Instagram after posting an X-rated bikini picture.
      The snaps saw her wearing a tiny pink bikini in a variety of poses.
      One saw her up against the wall while showing off her bum.
      But another was a more zoomed in version – which could have been deemed too raunchy by Instagram moderators.
      She has posed in a bikini while playing football on the beachCredit: Splash News
      She has previously donned a pink bikini beforeCredit: INSTAGRAM More