The match officials for Leeds United’s Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round clash with Birmingham City on Sunday have been announced, with Simon Hooper set to take charge at St. Andrew's Stadium.
The Select Group official has been officiating for 20 years. In that time, the 43-year-old has overseen 141 top-flight matches and 30 FA Cup matches, beginning with a 2007 game between Exeter City and Stevenage.
The Wiltshire native has also refereed an EFL Cup semi-final match in each of the past three seasons, including Arsenal’s 3-2 win at Chelsea in January.
In their 21 matches officiated by Hooper, the Whites have won eight and drawn seven. This season, the official oversaw Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in January, with James Justin scoring for United.
The home side, meanwhile, have four wins and four losses in their 21 matches refereed by Hooper. In his only match to feature Birmingham City since 2022, the Blues fell 3-0 to Sheffield United in December, with former Leeds star Patrick Bamford on the scoresheet for the Blades.
2025/26 stats:
Games (all competitions): 18
Yellow cards issued: 76
Red cards issued: 4
Other match officials selected:
Assistant referees: Adrian Holmes & Craig Taylor
Fourth official: Craig Pawson
