Liverpool have been informed of the referee for Sunday’s game against Aston Villa at Anfield, with the official reinstated after being replaced.
In this season’s Premier League, which has only seen three rounds of fixtures so far, there has been plenty of controversy.
Unfortunately, much of it has involved the officials, with both referees and VAR receiving criticism for peculiar decisions.
For instance, in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle, Trent Alexander-Arnold seemed to narrowly escape a red card for obstructing Anthony Gordon after already receiving a yellow card minutes earlier for throwing the ball back onto the pitch.
Referee John Brooks disregarded a forceful push from Gordon on Alexander-Arnold and instead showed the right-back a yellow card for a trivial issue.
These incidents occur amidst new PGMOL directives, which appear to prioritize showing respect to referees over properly managing critical decisions during matches.
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Arguably the most troubling incident this season was the failure to award Wolves a penalty in their eventual 1-0 defeat to Man United.
Sasa Kalajdzic had won a header in the United penalty area when Andre Onana collided with both him and Wolves teammate Craig Dawson.
Referee Simon Hooper, along with his VAR team comprising Michael Salisbury and Richard West, decided to side with the goalkeeper.
PGMOL’s Jon Moss promptly apologized to Wolves manager Gary O’Neil, who himself received a booking for protesting, with the refereeing group admitting their mistake.
Hooper was subsequently replaced for the following weekend and was only assigned as VAR for one fixture in the latest round.
However, the 41-year-old has now been confirmed as the referee for the Liverpool vs. Aston Villa match at Anfield on Sunday – marking his return to officiating.
This decision comes amidst an ongoing dispute between officials and Liverpool, who have received red cards in both of their last two games.
Alexis Mac Allister’s soft dismissal in the 3-1 win over Bournemouth was later overturned after an appeal, but Virgil van Dijk is facing an extended ban beyond the initial one-match suspension for his sending off against Newcastle.
Van Dijk was livid with Brooks’ decision to show a red card after he fouled Alexander Isak as the last defender, and he was seen telling the referee it was a “ridiculous joke.”
The captain then had a conversation with fourth official Craig Pawson on the sideline, where he sternly told him “don’t touch me” after Pawson attempted to calm him down.
Hooper has previously refereed five Liverpool games, including three in last season’s Premier League.
The FA fined Liverpool £37,500 after players surrounded Hooper during the 4-1 loss to Man City, demanding a second yellow card for Rodri.
First published at Referee stood down after Andre Onana farce appointed for Liverpool match
