The Premier League official who was at the center of what was perhaps the biggest VAR controversy of the current campaign will be in charge when Watford attempts to resume winning tonight in front of the live television cameras at Vicarage Road.
In order to help Valerien Ismael’s team get back on track after Saturday’s loss against Leicester City, Simon Hooper has been selected to officiate the match against Norwich City.
During Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 victory against Liverpool at the end of September, the Wiltshire official was in the middle when Luiz Diaz’s goal was mistakenly given away for offside by the assistant referee. VAR did not raise an objection to the ruling.
Following the game, the PGMOL, the body that oversees referees, issued a statement acknowledging that there had been a “significant human error.” The audio recordings of the incident were also made public.
Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were sent off, leaving Liverpool with nine men at the end of the match. Hooper also received 10 yellow cards.
This season, the referee has refereed 10 league and cup games. In addition to issuing 47 yellow cards and three red cards, he also ejected Reece James during Chelsea’s 4-1 loss to Newcastle United on Saturday.
Hooper last officiated a Premier League match in April 2022, when the Hornets lost 2-1 at home to Brentford. Earlier in the season, he had officiated the 3-1 loss at Vicarage Road to Manchester City and the 1-0 loss at Leeds United. The assistant referees for the 8 p.m. kickoff are expected to be Adrian Holmes and Mark Scholes, with Christopher Pollard serving as the fourth official.
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