The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the UK refereeing authority, has announced the suspension of referee Simon Hooper, VAR referee Michael Salisbury, and VAR assistant Richard West from officiating matches during the second round of the Premier League. The decision comes in response to their involvement in a mistaken call during the recent 1-0 victory of Man Utd over Wolves.
In the match, Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana collided with Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic in the penalty area during stoppage time in the second half. Despite VAR’s involvement, referee Salisbury deemed it to be a non-obvious error and did not award a penalty. Referee Hooper was not required to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.
Wolves coach Gary O’Neil even received a yellow card from referee Hooper for his reaction. After the game, O’Neil revealed that former Premier League referee John Moss, who now serves as the team leader of England’s refereeing body, acknowledged that Hooper had made an error by not awarding a penalty to Man Utd.
Speaking to Sky Sports, O’Neil expressed his surprise, saying, “It appeared to me that the goalkeeper made contact with center-back Kalajdzic as he attempted to save the header. I was genuinely taken aback that it wasn’t given as a foul. If you miss the ball and make significant contact with the player, it should be a foul. I expected the referee to go to the pitch-side monitor, but instead, he came over and showed me a yellow card.”
O’Neil further shared that Moss had apologized and admitted that the situation should have resulted in a penalty. “I feel disappointed upon hearing that. Mr. Moss stated it was a clear and obvious error. He couldn’t believe that the on-pitch referee didn’t award a penalty,” O’Neil added.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Onana expressed his full trust in the referee’s decision. The Cameroonian goalkeeper said, “Referees can be right or wrong at times. It’s crucial to learn from mistakes. I trust the referees. Their job is not easy, especially with VAR. So, I remained calm. I know it wasn’t a penalty. It was simply a collision. I’m very pleased with this victory.”
This marks the second time Salisbury has faced disciplinary action due to a VAR-related mistake. In April, he was involved in a controversy during the match between Tottenham and Brighton when he denied a penalty to Brighton after Kaoru Mitoma was fouled in the penalty area by Pierre Emile Hojbjerg. PGMOL subsequently issued an apology and suspended Salisbury from refereeing for one round, along with a ban from working in the VAR room for three and a half weeks.
