Who Is John Brooks the Referee Appointed for the Manchester United vs Liverpool FA Cup Game and His Long Controversial VAR Past?

Fans can call themselves lucky to see a potential third fixture between Manchester United vs. Liverpool in 2024. Although the next season’s schedule hasn’t been announced, both teams will play in the FA Cup quarterfinals today before they meet again in the Premier League twice this year. However, this battle over the years was never shy of controversy, especially with the referees. And today, John Brooks, who has been in the news a few times, will officiate the game, including a VAR issue. But who is John Brook? What do we know about him?

Meanwhile, refereeing has been a major complaint for Liverpool this season, especially in the Premier League. Being denied a goal versus Tottenham Hotspur and not being awarded a penalty versus Manchester City recently were few of them. On the other side, Manchester United hasn’t been triggered much. Nevertheless, despite all the drama, the intense on-field battle will be in the hands of Brook, who will look to keep it as clean as possible.

All you need to know about John Brooks: Manchester United vs Liverpool FA Cup referee

Reports suggest that Brooks hails from Asfordby, Melton Mowbray, in Leicestershire. Born in 1990, he has been interested in the job since he was just 14. Since then, the Englishman has come a long way. Brooks started his EFL career in 2016 when he first officiated in the League Two game of Blackpool vs. Exeter City.

Moreover, Brooks was also an assistant referee in the Premier League and was also listed in FIFA’s International Referee’s list as an assistant referee in 2015. In recent news, his name was spotted on FIFA’s referees’ list. Brooks was a Select Group 2 referee from 2018 and was promoted to Select Group 1, a list of elite referees in the country, in June 2021 and is now estimated to earn around $61 grand.

Nevertheless, Brooks, despite all his experience, has not been called out quite a few times for his decisions. Last season as a VAR assistant, he was in the spotlight after mistakenly refusing a genuine goal to Brighton’s Pervis Estupinan against Crystal Palace because of the lines being drawn incorrectly. Consequently, this led him to be penalized for two games. Additionally, Liverpool also had some unpleasant experiences with Brooks.

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Earlier this season, he also sent the Reds captain Virgil Van Dijk off the pitch after an alleged foul against Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak. Subsequently, van Dijk was banned for two matches after rebelling against his decision. Meanwhile, even Manchester United had one decision gone against them by Brooks when he wrote off Harry Maguire’s goal against Fulham, citing an offside.

The game between the Red Devils and Liverpool has witnessed some conflicts with referees earlier. From Howard Webb’s decision to award United an unlikely penalty in 2010 to Luke Shaw’s handball not being checked in December 2023, the fixture doesn’t seem to rest. However, both teams would like to put all these behind them, focus on the moment, and ace the knockout game.