EPL Drops Referees Who Officiated Man United vs. Wolves Tie Amid Onana Controversy

• Three officials who oversaw Manchester United's game with Wolves have been dropped from selection
• The game was marred by a controversial incident after a challenge from Andre Onana went unchecked
• Wolves wanted a penalty which was not awarded as they lost their opening game of the new EPL season

The English Premier League has dropped the referees who officiated the controversial clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United on August 14.

The Red Devils ground out a slender 1-0 win over the visitors in their opening game of the 2023/2024 campaign., while Wolves were forced to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal.

However, there was a moment in the dying minutes that sparked controversy after United goalkeeper, Andre Onana, clattered into Wolves striker, Sasa Kalajdzic.

Centre referee, Simon Hooper, waved play on and his decision was backed by the Video Assistant Referee.

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Hooper has since been dropped from selection for the upcoming matches this weekend alongside, VAR officials Michael Salisbury and Richard West, according to Sky Sports.

They will now sit out of game week two, which will have a couple of big matches, including Manchester United's visit to Tottenham, West Ham hosting Chelsea in a London derby, and defending champions Manchester City playing Newcastle United, among others.

PGMOL apologises after United game

This comes at a time when the president of Professional Game Match Officials Limited, Howard Webb, apologised to Wolves for the error, as reported by the Guardian.

The head of the refereeing body reportedly made contact with the club's officials after Wolves were denied a stoppage-time penalty against Man United.

Referee's body apologises to Wolves coach

Sports Brief reported that coach, Gary O'Neill revealed he received an apology from the referee's body for what was deemed to have been a blatant penalty on Onana.

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The coach, who only took the Wolves job a few days earlier, was yellow-carded for complaining as officials continue to clamp down on protests by players and managers.

Despite keeping a clean sheet during the clash, the new United goalkeeper was crashed into opposition striker, Kalajdzic, with his actions somehow not penalised.