As Simon Hooper was removed from Premier League games following the Wolves-Man United penalty controversy, here is all you need to know about the referee and the ref stats
Referee Simon Hooper was withdrawn from the refereeing roster for this weekend’s Premier League games after failing to award Wolves a penalty in Monday night’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United.
Who is Simon Hooper Premier League referee, bio, age and ref career stats
The Black Country squad felt that they should have been awarded a penalty after Andre Onana collided with substitute Sasa Kalajdzic in the last seconds of the second half. The Black Country team squandered multiple opportunities to earn something from the encounter at Old Trafford.
Gary O’Neil, the manager of Wolves, became enraged on the sidelines after Hooper refused to award a penalty kick and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Michael Salisbury decided the decision was not a clear and apparent error. Onana, who was making his United debut, was charged by the Wolves manager with “heading off” Kalajdzic.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), which suggested that the incident was checked and not recognised as a clear and apparent error, has apologised to O’Neil and Wolves, O’Neil said in his post-game news conference.
The Premier League officials for Manchester United’s win against Wolves have been dropped.
Referee Simon Hooper, VAR official Michael Sailsbury, and VAR assistant Richard West won’t be selected for next weekend. pic.twitter.com/Uq9OpTyRNu
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 15, 2023
Who is Simon Hooper?
| Competition 2022/23 | Appearances | Yellow | Second Yellow | Red | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 110 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
 |
Premier League | 29 | 100 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
 |
FA Cup | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 |
EFL Cup | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 |
Championship Play-Offs | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Simon Hooper, an English football referee who was born on July 15, 1982, in Swindon, England, primarily works in the Premier League. He was elevated to the Select Group in 2018.
It doesn’t get much bigger than one of the fiercest rivalries in the world, which Hooper will officiate in his fifth Premier League season.
Simon Hooper’s record in Liverpool matches
In his professional career, Hooper has participated in three relatively low-key Liverpool games. He has only been shown one yellow and none red cards in those games.
His decision to award Shrewsbury a penalty in an FA Cup game, which started their comeback from a 2-0 deficit, was the biggest one he made in them. It was a debatable decision because it seemed like the infraction was committed just outside the penalty box.
Simon Hooper’s record in Everton matches
Hooper has officiated seven Everton matches, and the majority of those have had little cards.
The only occasion he gave out more than one caution came in the most recent game, when he sent out three warnings in the Toffees’ Premier League encounter against Crystal Palace earlier this year, infuriating Everton supporters who thought his rulings benefited the visitors.
Click here for more stats and records of Simon Hooper.