Chelsea and Brighton given referee whose yellow-card fever saw Blues hit with hefty fine last season
Chelsea host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday
The Premier League is back this weekend for match week six of what has been an intriguing new campaign so far. None more so than for Chelsea, who entered the new season on the back of Club World Cup success and with a fresh squad of new players adapting to life at Stamford Bridge.
This Saturday is a rare occasion in recent years where we will see all of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City play at 3pm on a Saturday. This is in part due to the fact that fewer and fewer games are scheduled for the 3pm blackout, which continues to prevail amid sky-rocketing broadcasting deals.
The match officials have been announced for the Blues’ match against Brighton & Hove Albion in west London, which will see Enzo Maresca’s side reunited with a man who earned the club a considerable fine at one point last season.
Match officials named as Chelsea reminded of unwanted record
The Premier League have announced Simon Hooper as the referee for Chelsea vs Brighton on Saturday. Adrian Holmes and Simon Long will be his assistants, while Ruebyn Ricardo is the fourth official. Darren England is VAR for the match, with Gary Beswick as assistant VAR.
The return of Hooper to Stamford Bridge will remind Chelsea of an unwanted record they received at the hands of the referee last season. The Blues were on the end of a mammoth £75,000 fine in October 2024 after they had six or more players booked for the third time already in that Premier League season. They had become the first team in Premier League history to achieve the feat of having six players booked for a third time in one season.
Chelsea had been fined £25,000 by the FA for the first offence, which was then upped to £50,000 for the second instance. When it happened for a third time against Newcastle on 27 October, a £75,000 fine was issued. This came after a headed afternoon where the Blues saw several encounters with referee Hooper, head coach Maresca even finding himself in the book as yellow cards were handed out at will.
In a statement, the FA said: “This will be a £75k fine for Chelsea for 6+ cautioned in today's game (third multi-participant misconduct of the season)."
Chelsea will look to remain on right side of referee on Saturday
Chelsea will know that a win against Brighton is important to get their season back on track. After successive defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Bayern Munich (followed by Carabao Cup victory at Lincoln City with a much-changed side), another reverse against the Seagulls could see significant questions begin to be asked. The fact that the Blues boast several players whom they signed from Brighton for huge fees does not help matters.
Remaining on the right side of Hooper on this occasion will be crucial, particularly after Robert Sanchez’s mindless sending-off after five minutes against United last time out. Maresca and his side will hope that the referee is not as quick as he was to brandish yellow cards as he was on that fateful day last campaign.
The Blues might be without Cole Palmer for the match after the 23-year-old limped off early at Old Trafford with a recurring groin problem. Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro are doubts, while Facundo Buonanotte is ineligible against his parent club.