Why Simon Hooper was right not to send off Antoine Semenyo vs Manchester United

Manchester United assistant coach Adelio Cândido tracked referee Simon Hooper at half-time after a coming-together between Diogo Dalot and Antoine Semenyo sparked calls for a red card. From a player’s eye and by Law 12, the incident never reached the threshold for serious foul play or denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Contact was present, but force, point of contact and control did not justify red. The reaction on the touchline amplified a routine decision. VAR’s silent support spoke volumes. This was firm, not excessive. Hooper read the play, the angles and the cover defenders correctly, and kept the match under control.

Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Bournemouth, with a first-half flashpoint involving Diogo Dalot and Antoine Semenyo. At the interval, assistant coach Adelio Cândido appeared to confront referee Simon Hooper in the tunnel area about the lack of a red card. The decision on-field remained a foul against Manchester United, with no upgrade from VAR.

🚨 NEW: Manchester United coach Adelio Candido man-marked referee Simon Hooper as the teams returned to the dressing room for half-time, seemingly complaining about the decision not to show Antoine Semenyo a red card. Dalot challenged Semenyo - it was a foul on the Bournemouth

@UtdXclusive

Impact Analysis

I watched the sequence several times in real time and in my head I slow it down by instinct - force, point of contact, speed and control. Law 12 is clear: a red card for serious foul play requires excessive force or endangering the safety of an opponent, and a DOGSO red needs the classic four - distance to goal, general direction, likelihood of control, and number of covering defenders. None stacked up for red here.

First, the force. Semenyo’s movement is assertive but not out of control. The contact point sits low, not studs into a vulnerable area, and Dalot’s momentum makes the collision look worse. Second, direction and control. The ball trajectory is moving away from the prime scoring lane, and there is at least one recovering defender narrowing the channel. That alone breaks the DOGSO chain. Third, consistency. In similar top-flight incidents this season, we’ve seen yellows or simple fouls, not reds, when force is moderated and control is disputable. VAR didn’t intervene because it was not a clear and obvious error.

Some pundits argued a red for “reckless brutality.” That language doesn’t match the criteria. Reckless is yellow by book, excessive is red. This was reckless at most. Hooper read the temperature, applied the law, and managed the game. As a former pro, I care about player safety - and this didn’t cross the line.

Reaction

Fan chatter split quickly. Manchester United supporters pointed to past flashpoints - a popular example is Casemiro’s red vs Crystal Palace in 2022-23 - to argue inconsistency. Others zeroed in on Adelio Cândido’s tunnel shadowing of Hooper, some finding it passionate, some calling it theatre. A few neutrals focused on fantasy implications and hashtags, more noise than analysis. I saw jokes about Adelio’s build on the bench and whether the home crowd’s chants were aimed at Semenyo. Typical matchday swirl.

The Bournemouth camp highlighted the initial foul against Dalot, framing the entire debate as a distraction. That mirrors what players feel on the pitch - first contact matters. Interestingly, rival fans used the moment to needle United about discipline, while some Reds defended the staff’s reaction as protection of their full-back. The common thread: people remembered past reds and tried to import them here. But games have different speeds, angles and covers. Social feeds compress nuance into a single word - “red” - and it rarely fits.

Social reactions

They were singing that to Semenyo?

Irate Debate (@MintIrate)

💙❤️💙❤️💙

Football World (@FootballWo32893)

he needed to fall we all know the trick !!

REDPRAT (@redbrat99)

Prediction

Expect PGMOL to internally review and quietly back Hooper. The threshold for a red was not met and the non-intervention by VAR is already a tell. If anything arises, it could be a soft reminder about conduct in the tunnel - staff shadowing referees can draw the FA’s attention under technical area behavior guidelines. A formal charge is unlikely unless language crossed a line, which we have no evidence of.

For United, the staff will likely channel this into messaging about protection and game management, using it to steel Dalot and the back line for similar duels. For Bournemouth, it becomes a badge - physical edge without tipping over. In the medium term, referees may whistle these early to cool the temperature, but I don’t foresee a trend shift to automatic reds in comparable incidents. The next time these sides meet, the first 15 minutes will be tight, with Hooper or any appointed referee quick on preventative talk. Expect a focus on body shape in duels and recovery angles, not cards.

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Conclusion

I’ve been in those tunnels after flashpoints - heart rate up, words sharp, and everyone sure they’re right. Strip the emotion and the picture is simpler. The contact didn’t show excessive force, the ball and bodies didn’t align for DOGSO, and the referee’s on-field read matched the book. VAR’s silence confirmed it. That’s good officiating, not negligence.

United’s bench showing fire is no crime. But outcomes are decided by plays, not protests. If I’m coaching Dalot, I remind him to control the first contact and trust the cover. If I’m speaking to Semenyo, I praise the balance he kept under pressure. And for Hooper, I mark it as a steady day: correct threshold, calm temperature control. The game needs more of that - firm whistles, fewer panic reds, and clarity that the laws still matter when the crowd roars.