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John Brooks (referee)

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John Brooks
Brooks, as the fourth official, in 2021
Full name John Edmund Cornwall Brooks
Born 1990 (age 34–35)
Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England
Other occupation Insurance Broker
Domestic
Years League Role
2012–2016 Premier League Assistant referee
2014–2016 Football Conference Referee
2016– English Football League Referee
2021– Premier League Referee
International
Years League Role
2015–2016 FIFA listed Assistant referee
2023– FIFA listed Referee

John Edmund Cornwall Brooks (born 1990) is an English professional football referee who has primarily officiated in the Premier League since 2021. He has been a UEFA First Category referee since 2024, and was previously an assistant referee in the Premier League from 2012 to 2016.

Brooks began refereeing in 2004, and became a Select Group assistant referee in 2012 and then a FIFA listed international assistant referee in 2015. He began refereeing in the Football Conference League in 2014, before becoming an EFL referee in 2016. He was promoted to Select Group 2 in 2018, before his promotion to Select Group 1 in June 2021. He was promoted to the FIFA list of international referees in 2023.

Early life and education

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John Edmund Cornwall Brooks was born in 1990 in Melton Mowbray, to Edmund Hugh Cornwall Brooks (1949–1990) and Sally Ann Taylor. His father died in a car accident in 1990.[1] Through his father, he is a descendant of King Edward III of England, and also of Richard of Cornwall, the son of King John of England.[1]

Brooks attended Loughborough Grammar school.[2]

Career

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Early career (2004–2021)

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Brooks began refereeing in the local leagues in Leicestershire in 2004 at the age of 14.[3] He began refereeing adult football at the age of 16.[4] He also worked at an insurance brokers before becoming a professional referee.[4]

Brooks began officiating as an assistant referee at Premier League level at the age of 21.[5] In 2011, he was promoted to the national list of assistant referees, and in 2012 he was promoted to the Select Group of assistant referees.[6] He was promoted to the FIFA list of international assistant referees in 2015.[7]

Brooks was an assistant referee at the 2014 Football League Championship play-off final and the 2015 FA Community Shield. He was also an assistant referee to Mark Clattenburg at the 2016 FA Cup final.[6]

Brooks began refereeing in the Conference League at the start of the 2014–2015 season, before moving up to Football League in the 2016–2017 season.[3][8] He was promoted to Select Group 2 at the start of the 2018–2019 season.[9] He refereed the 2018 FA Vase final between Stockton Town and Thatcham Town.[10]

Premier League and FIFA list (2021–present)

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2021–22: Debut Premier League season

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Brooks was promoted to the Select Group of referees in June 2021.[11][10] His referee coach is Andre Marriner.[4]

In December 2021, Brooks refereed his first Premier League match between Wolves and Burnley at Molineux.[12] He refereed a total of 4 Premier League games during the 2021–2022 season;[13] on 2 January 2022 between Everton and Brighton at Goodison Park,[14] on 26 February 2022 between Brighton and Aston Villa at the AMEX stadium,[15] and on 30 April 2022 between Aston Villa and Norwich at Villa Park, the last of which was the game that saw Norwich relegated from the Premier League.[16]

Brooks also refereed 11 games in the EFL Championship, as well as a third round FA Cup tie between Tottenham and Morecambe at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 9 January 2022.[17]

2022–23: Premier League breakthrough

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Brooks refereed his first Premier League game of the 2022–23 season on 13 August 2022 between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham at the Molineux stadium.[18][19]

On 11 February 2023, Brooks, as the video assistant referee, wrongly ruled out a goal by Brighton & Hove Albion's Pervis Estupiñán against Crystal Palace. A technician tasked with drawing the lines failed to draw the line to the deepest Crystal Palace defender and mistakenly identified James Tomkins as the Crystal Palace player closest to his own goal when it was actually his team-mate Marc Guéhi.[20][21] After the image was presented to Brooks, he misjudged the situation and unintentionally ruled out Brighton & Hove's goal. An emergency meeting was convened by PGMOL head Howard Webb after the incident. Following the meeting, Brooks was subsequently dropped for his next two matches.[22]

Brooms was the fourth official for Liverpool's 4–3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on 30 April 2023, in which a winner for Liverpool was scored in the 94th minute.[23] Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp celebrated the stoppage time winner by running up to Brooks and celebrating in front of him, which Klopp later described as being "not cool" and admitted was his fault.[24][25][26] Referee Paul Tierney deemed his conduct worthy of a red card, but Brooks convinced Tierney to instead issue him with a yellow card.[24][27] Klopp later submitted a letter to the FA, in which he apologised to both Tierney and Brooks, and stated that he was sorry for his "immediate reaction" when he ran towards Brooks.[28]

Brooks refereed a total of 19 Premier League games during the season,[13] with his last game coming on the final day of the season between Brentford and Premier League champions Manchester City at the Gtech Community stadium on 28 May 2023.[29]

2023–24: Rise and international career

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Brooks was promoted to the FIFA list of international referees at the start of the 2023–2024 season.[30] He was the fourth official for the 2023 FA Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City on 6 August 2023.[31] His first refereed Premier League game of the season came on 12 August 2023 between Sheffield United and Crystal Palace at Bramall Lane.[32] He refereed his first UEFA Europa League match between Sheriff Tiraspol and Servette on 26 October 2023.[33]

Brooks refereed Newcastle vs Liverpool at St James' Park on 27 August 2023.[34] In the match, he showed a straight red card to Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk for a DOGSO on Newcastle forward Alexander Isak.[35][36] Van Dijk appeared to argue with Brooks over the decision to send him off while the incident was being reviewed by the VAR, and the FA subsequently charged him for acting in an improper manner towards a match official after his sending off, and also alleged that Van Dijk used abusive and or insulting words.[37][38]

Brooks refereed Portugal's 9–0 win over Luxemburg on 11 September 2023.[39] He later refereed France's 14–0 victory over Gibraltar at the Allianz Riviera on 18 November 2023, which was the largest win in the history of the European Championship qualifiers.[40] During the match, Brooks issued a red card to Gibraltar defender Ethan Santos after a VAR review, and also awarded a penalty to France after a VAR review for handball, which Kylian Mbappé converted.[41][42] Brooks refereed two FA cup games during the season, firstly during the third round on 7 January 2024 between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates stadium.[43] He also refereed the quarter-final between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on 17 March 2024, during which he issued a second yellow card to Manchester United player Amad Diallo for excessive celebration after he scored a 121st minute winner in extra time to make the score 4–3.[44] He also refereed a Carabao cup second leg semi-final between Chelsea and Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge on 23 January 2024.[45]

Brooks was the VAR for Chelsea's 4–1 win over Tottenham at Tottenham Hotspur stadium on 6 November 2023.[46] During the match, Brooks made 9 VAR decisions, and in the match there were 5 goals ruled out and 2 red cards issued. During the first half, Brooks checked for a red card against Tottenham defender Cristian Romero at 22 mins but no card was issued.[47][48] At 24 mins, he disallowed an equalised for Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling for handball and at 28 mins he disallowed a goal from Moisés Caicedo for offside.[47] At 31 mins, he recommended referee Michael Oliver to review Romero for serious foul play for a foul by Romero on Enzo Fernández, for which Oliver issued a penalty and a red card against Romero.[49][50] Brooks was praised for his performance as the VAR by former referees Dermot Gallagher and Mark Clattenburg.[51][52] PGMOL chief Howard Webb also said that the VAR officials for the match and the officials on the field did really well, and described the review for the Romero sending off and subsequent penalty as an "excellent process" and a "good intervention".[53][54]

On 26 November 2023, Brooks was the referee for Manchester United's 3–0 win over Everton at Goodison Park,[55] in which Alejandro Garnacho scored the opening goal; which was a bicycle kick which later won the Puskás award.[56] During the second half after the first goal had been scored, Brooks initially booked Anthony Martial for a dive, but VAR Chris Kavanagh advised Brooks to watch Ashley Young's challenge on the pitchside monitor and after doing that, Brooks awarded a penalty to Manchester United which Marcus Rashford scored to make it 2–0. Everton manager Sean Dyche described the "screen thing" as a "farce", and said that VAR seems to be "mayhem all the time". Thousands of Everton fans also took part in anti-Premier League protests in the match by holding up cards with the Premier League logo with the word "corrupt" underneath it, and Brooks was booed by the Everton fans for decisions he made during the match.[57]

Brooks refereed a total of 22 Premier games during the season,[13] with his last refereed Premier League match coming on the final day of the season on 19 May 2024, between Manchester City and West Ham at the Etihad stadium,[58] which Manchester City won 3–1 to become Premier League champions.[59] Brooks was reported as being statistically the best Premier League referee during the season,[60][61][62] as well as the second best VAR.[61]

Brooks refereed the 2024 EFL Championship play-off final between Southampton and Leeds at Wembley on 26 May 2024,[63] which was attended by 85,862 people; making it the highest attended EFL Championship play-off final in over a decade.[64]

2024–25: UEFA promotion

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Brooks was promoted to the UEFA first category of referees at the start of the 2024–2025 season; he replaced Craig Pawson, and joined Chris Kavanagh to be the only English officials on the UEFA second tier referees list for the season.[60] He was appointed to referee the 2024 FA Community Shield, but sustained a minor injury the week before the final was due to be played, and he was replaced by Jarred Gillett.[65] He refereed his first Premier League match of the season between Tottenham and Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on 21 September 2024.[66] Brooks was defended by Brentford manager Thomas Frank when Frank was asked about the handball by Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario that Brooks had missed during the game; Frank stated that it was a "mistake" but said that the incident "did not define the game", and also added that "Brooks overall had a very good game" and said that "the way he handled soft fouls both ways was really good".[67]

Brooks refereed his second Premier League match of the season on 20 October 2024, which was between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield.[13] During the first half, Brooks awarded a penalty to Liverpool for a foul by Levi Colwill on Curtis Jones, which Mohamed Salah then scored. Brooks awarded a second penalty to Liverpool for Robert Sánchez's challenge on Jones, but changed his decision after being recommended to review at the pitchside monitor by VAR Michael Oliver.[68] After the match, Liverpool manager Arne Slot accused Brooks of wanting to show that he was not able to give the decisions he had to make whilst referring to the Anfield atmosphere.[69][70] Conversely, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said the referee was there to "make decisions", and claimed that sometimes they were made "because of the noise", but also stated that "overall they did ok".[71]

Career statistics

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Season[72] Competition(s) Games[a] Total Yellow card Yellow card per game Total Red card Red card per game
2012–13 Premier League U21 D1 1 2 2 0 0
2013–14 Premier League U21 D1 3 7 2.3 0 0
2014–15 Conference League 15 70 4.7 3 0.2
2015–16 National League 17 41 2.4 0 0
2016–17 League Two, League One 27 124 4.6 8 0.3
2017–18 EFL Championship, FA Cup, EFL Cup 9 30 3.3 1 0.1
2018–19 28 116 4.1 3 0.1
2019–20 32 116 3.6 1 0
2020–21 EFL Championship, EFL Championship play-offs, FA Cup, EFL Cup, League Two 30 103 3.4 5 0.2
2021–22 Premier League, EFL Championship, EFL Cup, League Two, European Qualifiers 18 58 3.2 2 0.1
2022–23 Premier League, EFL Championship, FA Cup, EFL Cup, U21 European Qualifiers 28 113 4 3 0.1
2023–24 Premier League, EFL Championship, EFL Championship play-offs, FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Youth League, UEFA Europa Conference League Qualifiers 33 148 4.5 5 0.2

List of officiated domestic finals

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2014 Football League Championship play-off final
Date Match Venue Role
24 May 2014 Derby County – Queens Park Rangers Wembley Stadium Assistant referee
2015 FA Community Shield
Date Match Venue Role
2 August 2015 Arsenal – Chelsea Wembley Stadium Assistant referee
2016 FA Cup final
Date Match Venue Role
21 May 2016 Crystal Palace – Manchester United Wembley Stadium Assistant referee
2018 FA Vase final
Date Match Venue Role
20 May 2018 Stockton Town – Thatcham Town Wembley Stadium Referee
2023 FA Community Shield
Date Match Venue Role
6 August 2023 Arsenal – Manchester City Wembley Stadium Fourth official
2024 EFL Championship play-off final
Date Match Venue Role
26 May 2024 Leeds United – Southampton Wembley Stadium Referee

Notes

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  1. ^ Total number of games for all competitions listed

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Kidd, Charles; Shaw, Christine (2010). Peerage & Baronetage 2011. Debrett's. ISBN 978-1-870520-73-7.
  2. ^ "Beyond the Barrier - Spring 2016 by Loughborough Schools Foundation - Issuu". issuu.com. 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  3. ^ a b "Referee John Brooks to boss Everton game". Fulhamweb. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  4. ^ a b c PGMOL (2024-04-04). What is it REALLY like to be a Premier League referee? | Behind the scenes with John Brooks. Retrieved 2024-12-23 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Lawrence, Amy (2015-03-28). "Meet the new men in black training to make Premier League tough calls". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  6. ^ a b "FA Cup Final honour for Asfordby ref John Brooks". Melton Times. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  7. ^ "John Brooks the man in charge tomorrow night". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  8. ^ "Man in the middle | John Brooks | Swansea". www.swanseacity.com. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  9. ^ "EFL Official Website - Select Group 2 Match Officials". 2018-07-30. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  10. ^ a b "Four new referees for 2021/22 Premier League".
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  13. ^ a b c d "John Brooks - Matches as referee". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  14. ^ "Everton v Brighton, 2021/22 | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
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  20. ^ "VAR technician was partly to blame for John Brooks error during Crystal Palace vs Brighton - The Athletic". The Athletic. 2023-02-27. Archived from the original on 2023-02-27. Retrieved 2023-02-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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  27. ^ Pearce, James. "Jurgen Klopp: Paul Tierney wanted to send me off after Tottenham row". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  28. ^ Squires, Theo (2023-05-18). "Every word of Jurgen Klopp's letter to FA in full before Liverpool touchline ban". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
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  38. ^ Pearce, James. "Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk charged by FA after red card against Newcastle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  39. ^ "Portugal 9-0 Luxembourg (11 Sep, 2023) Game Analysis - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  40. ^ "France 14-0 Gibraltar (18 Nov, 2023) Game Analysis - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  41. ^ "France 14-0 Gibraltar: Kylian Mbappe scores hat-trick in record win". BBC Sport. 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  42. ^ "France makes history: Smashes Gibraltar 14-0 with an unreal Kylian Mbappe". MARCA. 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  43. ^ "Liverpool 2-0 Arsenal (7 Jan, 2024) Final Score - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  44. ^ "Man United 4-3 Liverpool (17 Mar, 2024) Final Score - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  45. ^ "Chelsea 6-1 Boro (23 Jan, 2024) Final Score - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  46. ^ "Spurs v Chelsea, 2023/24 | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  47. ^ a b "The VAR Review: Tottenham vs. Chelsea - timeline of chaos". ESPN.com. 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  48. ^ Athletic, The (2023-11-07). "How Jackson's hat-trick led Chelsea past nine-man Tottenham in chaotic Premier League clash". The Athletic. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  49. ^ Athletic, The (2023-11-07). "How Jackson's hat-trick led Chelsea past nine-man Tottenham in chaotic Premier League clash". The Athletic. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  50. ^ "Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea: Unpacking nine VAR checks in chaotic half of football". BBC Sport. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  51. ^ "Tottenham vs Chelsea chaos reviewed in Ref Watch special as Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero incidents dissected". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  52. ^ Young, Alex (2023-11-08). "Clattenburg reveals the one mistake VAR made in Tottenham vs Chelsea". The Standard. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  53. ^ Hill, Sam (2023-11-14). "Chelsea and Spurs VAR audio released as Howard Webb explains Romero red card". Football London. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  54. ^ "Match Officials Mic'd Up Pt 3: Webb analyses key incidents in Matchweeks 9-12". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  55. ^ "Man United 3-0 Everton (26 Nov, 2023) Final Score - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  56. ^ "Garnacho wins Puskas Award as FIFA honours Premier League stars". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  57. ^ "Everton 0-3 Man Utd: Sean Dyche says VAR provides 'mayhem all the time'". BBC Sport. 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  58. ^ "Man City 3-1 West Ham (19 May, 2024) Final Score - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  59. ^ "Man City v West Ham, 2023/24 | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  60. ^ a b Boyle, Callum (2024-06-22). "Premier League referee relegated from UEFA list". JOE.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  61. ^ a b "Every Premier League VAR mistake revealed: Ranking which teams were helped and hurt most". ESPN.com. 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  62. ^ "Buzzwords alone won't save Premier League VAR from the abyss". ESPN.com. 2024-08-16. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  63. ^ "Southampton 1-0 Leeds (26 May, 2024) Game Analysis - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  64. ^ "Saints win at Wembley was best attended Championship play-off final in decade". Daily Echo. 2024-05-31. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  65. ^ Association, The Football. "Gillett to referee Community Shield". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  66. ^ "Tottenham 3-1 Brentford (21 Sep, 2024) Game Analysis - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  67. ^ "Thomas Frank defends referee over missed handball from Guglielmo Vicario". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  68. ^ "Liverpool v Chelsea, 2024/25 | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  69. ^ "Slot questions referee calls despite Liverpool win". ESPN.com. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  70. ^ "Arne Slot accuses referee of 'wanting to show' he wouldn't be swayed by Liverpool fans as Reds coach questions decisions against Chelsea | Goal.com US". www.goal.com. 2024-10-20. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  71. ^ Millne, Sam (2024-10-21). "Slot & Maresca at odds with Anfield's influence on referees". This Is Anfield. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  72. ^ "Refereeing career John Brooks as a referee | BeSoccer". www.besoccer.com. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
[edit]
  1. ^ "UEFA Referees Categories for the second half of season 2024/25" (PDF).
  2. ^ "UEFA Referees Categories for the second half of season 2024/25" (PDF).
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