Manchester City v West Ham United
Premier League, Etihad Stadium, Sunday 19 May 2024, 4pm BST
Referee: John Brooks
Assistant Referees: Lee Betts and Akil Howson
Fourth Official: Sam Allison
VAR: Jarred Gillett
Assistant VAR: Tim Wood
John Brooks has been confirmed as the man in the middle for Sunday’s final-day trip to title hopefuls Manchester City in the Premier League.
The Leicestershire-born official was promoted to Select Group One in June 2021 and refereed his first Premier League match in December of the same year.
He has held the whistle during 21 top-flight clashes this season, including two involving the Hammers.
Indeed, Brooks was in charge of August’s 3-1 win over Chelsea and the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in April, while he also oversaw West Ham’s last trip to Manchester City, which resulted in a 3-0 defeat towards the end of 2022/23.
Besides his domestic duties, he also refereed this term’s UEFA Youth League final, won by Olympiacos, and has featured in the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying and on the international scene.
Lee Betts and Akil Howson will serve as the assistant referees at Etihad Stadium.
The duo officiated alongside Brooks in West Ham’s aforementioned triumph over Chelsea at the start of the campaign, while Howson also ran the line during the Irons’ home draw against Aston Villa in March and away win at Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.
Sam Allison will work as the fourth official on Sunday.
The Wiltshire native became the first black referee in the Premier League in 15 years when he oversaw Luton Town’s 3-2 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Boxing Day 2023.
He served as the fourth official, alongside Howson, during West Ham’s 1-1 tie with Villa earlier this calendar year. The referee that day was Jarred Gillett, who is set to oversee Video Assistant Referee duties in Manchester this weekend.
Gillett has been a part of Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s (PGMOL) Select Group One since the start of the 2021/22 season, after establishing himself in his home country of Australia and joining Select Group 2 in England in 2019.
