Premier League drops referee after Wolves-Man United mistake

The Premier League dropped a trio of officials ahead of the weekend fixtures due to one key referee mistake. Simon Hooper, VAR Michael Salisbury, and assistant VAR Richard West were all penalized by the league for missing a blatant penalty call late in a match on Monday.

The incident in question occurred late in a matchup between Manchester United and Wolves. With the Red Devils leading 1-0 at home, new United goalkeeper Andre Onana bundled into Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic. While Hooper failed to make the correct real-time decision, many onlookers assumed he would get help from VAR. Nevertheless, replay officials failed to intervene to make the call.

Wolves coach: Premier League referee apologized after mistake

After the match, Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil claimed that Jon Moss apologized for the error. Moss, a former Premier League referee, became general manager of England’s elite referees back in April. “Jon Moss said it was a blatant penalty and should have been given – fair play to him, he apologized,” O’Neil stated in his postgame press conference.

“Fair play to Jon for coming out and saying it was a clear and obvious error. He couldn’t believe the on-field referee didn’t give it and can’t believe VAR didn’t intervene. It probably made me feel worse, actually, because you know you are right. I feel worse about leaving with nothing. Live, I was told they didn’t think it was a clear and obvious error.”

VAR official reprimanded for similar non-call in April

Previously, the Premier League dropped Salisbury for a mistake while on VAR duty in April. The official failed to award Brighton a penalty in a match against Tottenham Hotspur. With the game tied 1-1, a Spurs defender tripped Kaoru Mitoma inside the box. However, match referee Stuart Attwell missed the incident, while Salisbury failed to award the spot kick.

Wolves welcomed the apology. However, it does not change the result. The visitors were the better team on the night and looked more potent going forward. In fact, Wolves rattled off 23 total shots in the game. Nevertheless, the West Midlands club had to leave Old Trafford without a point.

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