The match officials involved in Manchester United's victory over Wolves have reportedly been suspended following a controversial penalty decision.
The Red Devils beat the visitors 1-0 thanks to a Raphael Varane header in the 76th minute of the game; however, Wolves had a penalty call in the 6th minute of second-half injury time that was contentiously not given.
What happened
Wolves, in an attempt to find a late equaliser late in the game, led a flurry of attacks towards the Manchester United goal, and it seemed to bear fruit when Andre Onana clattered against Craig Dawson in the box, inviting a VAR inquiry.
However, despite a VAR check into what looked like clear contact, referee Simon Hooper declined to give a penalty, to the disapproval of many.
Following the game, Wolves boss Gary O'Neil confirmed that former referee Jonathan Moss, who now holds a post at the PGMOL, confessed to him that a penalty should have been given for the incident, further sparking flames of discontent against the officiating on the day.
The refereeing body has now seemingly meted out punishment to the officials who were involved in the misjudgment.
Officials suspended
According to a report by Sky Sports this morning, the match officials involved in last night's game—referee Hooper, Video Assistant Referee Michael Salisbury, and assistant VAR Richard West—have been dropped from next weekend's round of Premier League matches.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 15, 2023
The officials for last night’s game between Man Utd and Wolves have been dropped for next weekend.
Referee Simon Hooper, video assistant ref Michael Sailsbury and assistant VAR Richard West have not been selected for a Premier League game. ❌ pic.twitter.com/0eY8WmNg3h
This is not the first time the body has come out to admit wrongdoing; last season, referee Lee Mason faced punishment for a blunder committed in a match between Arsenal and Brentford.
It remains to be seen if the officials will face further disciplinary action, but as the Wolves boss said, the erred team feel aggrieved all the same, as there are no measures to rectify results influenced by bad referee calls.
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