‘It’s not the decision, it’s the referee’ – Villa’s complaint after missing top five

With the match goalless and Villa down to 10 men after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was correctly sent off, the visitors thought Morgan Rogers had given them the lead.

As United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir attempted to gather the ball, Rogers nudged it away before slotging it home.

Although television footage revealed otherwise, Bramall blew for a foul by believing Bayindir had two hands on the ball.

Because Bramall stopped play before the ball entered the net, the video assistant referee (VAR) could not intervene.

Amad Diallo headed United in front shortly after, and Christian Eriksen’s late penalty saw Villa finish sixth in the Champions League standings behind.

Director of football operations Damian Vidagany expressed frustration with Villa after the 35-year-old Bramall had been given such a crucial game at a press conference following the match.

“We are going to send a complaint”, said Vidagany. The complaint is not about the decision; rather, it is about the choice of the referee, who is one of the Premier League’s most inexperienced referees.

It’s not about the choice; it was obviously an error. The complaint is about the referee. Why the international referees weren’t present today is the issue.

It was initially indicated that Villa would complain to the Premier League, but they later said they had written to PGMOL.

Villa argued that a “more experienced referee” should have been chosen for a game with such high stakes.

The club claimed that Mr. Bramall was the second-less experienced of the ten referees in the Premier League today.

” The decision to disallow Morgan Rogers ‘ goal, which would have given the club a 1-0 lead with 17 minutes remaining in the match, was a major contributing factor to the club not qualifying for the Champions League.

“We recognize that the outcome will not change, but we think it’s crucial to address the selection process to ensure that high-stakes matches are handled with respect to officiating and that the VAR technology used is permitted to be used effectively.”

Bramall started out as a Premier League referee in August 2022, and his games this year have mostly been in either the top flight or the second tier, with 11 in the Premier League and 12 in the Championship.

Villa manager Unai Emery was visibly furious with the decision to disallow Rogers ‘ goal – and award United their late penalty.

What are the definitions of the Football Association (FA) laws then?

Law 5 states: “The referee may be assisted by a video assistant referee only in the event of a ‘ clear and obvious error ‘ or ‘ serious missed incident ‘ in relation to: goal/no goal, penalty/no penalty, direct red card (not second caution), mistaken identity when the referee cautions or sends off the wrong player of the offending team”.

The Premier League match center’s call was a free kick to Manchester United, with Bayindir deemed to be in charge of the ball before Rogers took possession, according to a message posted on social media.

The referee blew the whistle before the ball entered the goal, making the incident unreviewable by the VAR.

Villa captain John McGinn, speaking to TNT Sports, admitted United deserved to win but said the decision to not give the goal was” incredible”.

When the VAR was put into effect, he continued, “Everyone wanted the right decisions.” Even if a try is awarded by the referee and it is incorrect, the decision is overturned.

“It’s so, so hard to take, especially when the impact it has on us – as a club and a team – is so big. It would cost you if you were 1-0 up at that time and only needed one point to reach the Champions League.

The referee was “not really sure what to say.” He is a young referee who has progressed very quickly. Perhaps we should consider hiring more knowledgeable referees.

When: A goalkeeper is deemed to be in control of the ball with the hand; according to Law 12:

BBC Match of the Day pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards were in agreement with Aston Villa, that Bayindir was not in control of the ball.

Shearer, a former England striker, said, “You would absolutely rage if you were Aston Villa, and that is exactly what I do.”

“VAR can’t intervene because the referee blew too early,” the statement read. A huge error when you look at the ramifications.

The ball never has control over the keeper, who always makes a mess of it. Morgan Rogers has every right to win. I understand the anger, I really do. “

It’s a howler, Richards, the former Manchester City defender, added. He lacks ball control, if you look. The referee has made a mistake and it should have been a goal.

He admitted to making a mistake, which is as obvious as that, and the issue was that the refblew too early, preventing him from entering VAR.

Because they have suffered the second-highest losses in Premier League history (£678 million), only missing out on Chelsea (1.25 billion), Villa was probably the team in greatest need of Champions League qualification next season.

While Villa will have earned record revenues in 2024-25 (after revenue of £276m in 2023-24), they are still substantially behind the ‘ Big Six ‘ – Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea – the clubs their owners want to challenge for Champions League places on a regular basis.

Under new owners Wes Edens and Nas Sawiris, Villa has been one of the biggest spenders in terms of transfer costs, spending more than £868 million on players since being promoted to the Premier League in 2019. Steve Bruce, Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard, and Unai Emery are just a few managers who the owners have supported, but at a high cost.

The good news for Villa fans is the funding for the transfers has come from the owners ‘ pockets in the form of shares, instead of borrowing and incurring interest costs.

Villa owes more than £150 million in previous purchases because many of the transfers were made on credit terms, which is unusual in the Premier League. The club would have been able to handle the cash demands for some of these purchased from former players with the help of Champions League qualification.

Champions League football was again crucial to Villa’s immediate financial future this year, with the revenue in that competition four times as much as the Europa League.

This summer will probably require sales, so who could go?

Martinez’s emotional reaction toward Villa’s final home game of the season gave the impression that he feels the club is over.

Forward Leon Bailey is a likely departure, but academy graduate Jacob Ramsey would generate the most profit if Villa need to claw back cash before the 30 June accounting deadline.

It is difficult to imagine that Marcus Rashford’s loan from Manchester United will become permanent, despite Villa’s option to purchase him for a 40-million fee in the Europa League.

Although Rashford enjoyed his time at Villa, there haven’t been any discussions over a permanent deal, and a move to Spain would be difficult to resist. Barcelona have publicly expressed their interest in the England international.