The referee and video assistant referees (VARs) involved in Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Wolves on Monday have been removed from officiating duties this weekend due to their failure to award a late penalty in the game. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), responsible for refereeing games in England, has decided to stand down referee Simon Hooper, VAR Michael Salisbury, and Assistant VAR Richard West after their incorrect decision regarding a collision between United goalkeeper Andre Onana and Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic.
During second-half added time, the two players collided in United’s penalty area as Onana attempted to claim a cross. Hooper initially did not penalize Onana for the challenge. The incident was reviewed by VAR, but Hooper was not instructed to consult the on-field monitor. Hooper also gave a yellow card to Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil for protesting the incident.
Following the game, O’Neil revealed that former Premier League referee John Moss, now the Select Group 1 Manager at PGMOL, acknowledged the incorrect decision. Moss apologized and admitted that it was a clear penalty that should have been given.
PGMOL’s decision to remove the trio of referees from upcoming fixtures is part of their initiative for greater accountability among officials under the leadership of Howard Webb. This includes communicating errors to the clubs involved. Wolves experienced several apologies from Webb last season, including a disallowed FA Cup third-round goal against Liverpool due to insufficient VAR images to judge the offside angle.
O’Neil expressed his belief that it was a penalty both during and after the match, highlighting the severity of the collision between Onana and the attacking player. However, he was not surprised that the decision was not awarded in their favor.
United manager Erik ten Hag acknowledged that the penalty decision could be debated but agreed with the officials’ judgment that it was not a penalty. United secured a 1-0 victory through Raphael Varane’s second-half header.
The match was O’Neil’s first in charge of Wolves, having taken over as manager just five days earlier. United will face Tottenham in their next fixture, while Wolves will host Brighton at Molineux.
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