Assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis has been stood down while the English Football Association investigates an alleged elbow on Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson.
The extraordinary incident occurred at half time during Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Premier League leaders Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.
Robertson appeared to confront Hatzidakis on the pitch, reaching to grab the arm of the official, who reacted by jabbing his elbow towards the Liverpool left-back.
An irate Robertson gesticulated that he had been struck by Hatzidakis while he was led away by teammates, only to receive a yellow card by the match referee Paul Tierney in the aftermath of the bizarre incident.
Scotland captain Robertson had earlier been warned by Tierney for his attitude towards Hatzidakis.
A statement by the Premier League referees' body the PGMOL said Hatzidakis would not take part in any fixtures while the FA carries out its investigation.
"PGMOL will not be appointing Constantine Hatzidakis to fixtures in any of the competitions it serves whilst the FA investigates the incident involving the assistant referee and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at Anfield."
Keith Hackett, formerly head of the PGMOL, told BBC Radio Five Live: "Ultimately, if he is found guilty of this, his career is in jeopardy.
"I was trying to find an excuse as to why he did it and I came up with was he in fear? He shouldn't be, because he's in a protected environment with plenty of security.
"But he reacted in a way that 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's clearly lost his composure."
Sunday's ugly scenes follows recent incidents which have seen Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic handed an eight-game ban for his push on referee Chris Kavanagh, and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes receive widespread criticism for nudging an assistant referee.
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Liverpool's Roberto Firmino scores the equaliser against Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, April 9, 2023. Reuters -
Liverpool's Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring their second goal with Cody Gakpo. Reuters -
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah reacts after missing a penalty against Arsenal at Anfield. AFP -
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal against Arsenal. AP -
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's opening goal. AP -
Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate and Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli battle for the ball. PA -
Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus celebrates scoring their second goal on Sunday. Reuters -
Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus battles with Liverpool's Andrew Robertson. Reuters -
Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli celebrates scoring their first goal with Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. Reuters -
Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli scores the first goal. EPA
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he did not see what had happened, but Sky Sports pundits working on the game reacted with incredulity.
“I know it happened but I didn’t watch it,” Klopp said Sunday. “If it happened the pictures will speak for themselves.”
Gary Neville, the former Manchester and England defender, said: "I've never seen an official raise an elbow to a player. I think he'll be in a lot of trouble after this game ends."
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said of Robertson: "He should be more worried about his defending."
Liverpool v Arsenal ratings
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LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson- 6. Little he could have done about either goal with poor defending from Liverpool, but a much better second half where he commanded his box well. Reuters -
Andy Robertson - 6. Some moments where his defending could have been better. Showed intensity in the second half to win a high number of duels and stretch the play going forwards. AP -
Virgil van Dijk - 5. A poor clearance allowed Martinelli in for Arsenal’s first, while his marking was poor as Gabriel Jesus headed past to make it 2-0. Improved in the second half with much more aggression in his play. AP -
Ibrahima Konate - 7. A dominant display saw Konate strong in the challenge, and that helped get the crowd going after a slide tackle won the ball cleanly. Unable to take advantage of his chance at the end of the game that he looked certain to score. AP -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7. It was clear Alexander-Arnold was adapting to a new role against Arsenal as he was deployed inside a lot more in attacking phases. Secured the crucial assist to complete Liverpool’s comeback after a piece of brilliance on the right flank and cross to find Roberto Firmino. Getty -
Fabinho - 5. Gave the ball away too cheaply at times, and was sometimes slow to close down spaces. Fared better when Liverpool switched to play more aggressively. Getty -
Jordan Henderson - 6. Had a chance to score before the break but couldn’t keep his effort down. Kept things ticking in the opponent’s third and took care of the ball. Reuters -
Curtis Jones - 6. An assured display from midfield with Jones who timed his astute flick perfectly in the build up to Mohamed Salah’s goal. Replaced for Thiago around the hour mark. AFP -
Diogo Jota - 5. The Portugal international couldn’t seem to get on the ball enough during the time he was on the pitch, with Arsenal quick to crowd out his space. AFP -
Cody Gakpo - 5. Looked composed under pressure on the ball and moved into different channels to provide an option. Not able to get a sight of goal. AP -
Mohamed Salah - 5. May have got Liverpool’s first goal, but he will be disappointed to not leave the game with three points. He was unlucky with an effort that drew an excellent save from Ramsdale, and his penalty miss could have been costly. Getty -
SUBS: Thiago Alcantara (Jones, 60') - 6. Always looked to play progressively and took up astute positions in midfield. Helped control the game for Klopp’s side. Reuters -
Darwin Nunez (Jota, 60') - 6. A huge chance saw Darwin Nunez unable to generate enough power to beat Ramsdale, while he also made an opportunity for Ibrahima Konate in the final minute of the game. EPA -
Roberto Firmino (Fabinho, 78') - N/A. Took his time to grow into the game after coming on, and eventually got the all important equaliser in space at the back post in the 87th minute. Reuters -
ARSENAL RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale - 8. Arsenal’s best player with a number of massive stops helping keep Liverpool at bay. A game the Gunners would have lost without him. AP -
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6. Not as effective as usual going forward, in a display where he struggled to make an impact going forward, though he did take care of the ball when in possession. AP -
Gabriel Magalhaes - 7. Constantly frustrated Liverpool with a number of quick interventions to clear the danger. Kept Liverpool’s forward line quiet for the most part. AFP -
Rob Holding - 6. A no nonsense approach from Holding saw him quick to clear the danger, but he did concede a penalty that Mohamed Salah missed. Reuters -
Ben White - 5. Not at his best today in a difficult match that Arsenal lost control of. Could have been much better with his passing. AP -
Thomas Partey - 7. Won the ball back on a number of occasions for Mikel Arteta’s side, but his influence seemed to fade after Liverpool scored. AP -
Granit Xhaka - 6 . Alert to the danger and won the majority of his duels. Squared up to Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first half which seemed to ignite the Liverpool crowd before momentum began to switch sides. Getty -
Martin Odegaard - 5. One of Odegaard’s more disappointing displays this season, with the Norway international not able to influence the game as well as he normally does. AP -
Bukayo Saka - 7. Arsenal’s brightest attacker with Saka causing plenty of trouble for Liverpool. Produced an excellent piece of skill in the second half, but his team-mates weren’t alert to his cut back. Reuters -
Gabriel Jesus - 6. Another goal for Jesus who was unmarked to head past Alisson. Struggled after the restart with Liverpool much quicker to challenge him. Reuters -
Gabriel Martinelli - 7. It took just minutes before Martinelli dribbled past Alexander-Arnold before producing a cross, and he looked confident across the 90 minutes, getting a goal in the process with a delicate touch past Alisson. Reuters -
SUBS: Leandro Trossard (Jesus, 80') N/A. Usually spent his time defending with Arsenal unable to re-capture control of the game. AFP -
Kieran Tierney (Zinchenko. 88') N/A. Jakub Kiwior (Odegaard, 80') - N/A. Reuters
