Aston Villa have released a statement, confirming they have ‘written to the PGMOL to raise concerns’ after Sunday’s loss to Manchester United.
Aston Villa have narrowly missed out on Champions League football, finishing sixth in the Premier League and a place below Newcastle United on goal difference.
With Newcastle losing to Everton and Nottingham Forest’s defeat against Chelsea, a point would have been enough for Aston Villa to snatch sixth spot.
But the Villans did not turn up on the final day as they were deservedly beaten 2-0 against Man Utd, with Amad Diallo and Christian Eriksen scoring against their Premier League rivals, who finished the match with ten men following Emiliano Martinez’s red card.
Before Diallo opened the scoring, Aston Villa had a goal controversially ruled out for a supposed foul on Altay Bayindir.
READ: Red cards, redemption and disallowed goals: Final battle for Champions League places delivers plenty of drama
Referee Thomas Bramall thought Bayindir had both hands on the ball when challenged by Morgan Rogers, but this was not the case and the goal should have stood.
VAR could not intervene to correct this mistake because Bramall blew his whistle for a free-kick to halt play before the ball found the net, so Aston Villa’s anger is justified.
After the final whistle, former head of the PGMOL, Keith Hackett,hit out at Bramall’s “huge mistake” and it was reported that they will lodge an ‘official complaint’.
Hackett said: “The goalkeeper does not have control of the ball it is loose and the actions of the forward are not dangerous.
“The referee at that point committed an howler by blowing to stop play.
“He should have waited the outcome and after the goal was scored the situation could them be reviewed by the VAR.
“Looking at the clip, the goal should have been allowed to stand. A huge error by the referee.”
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Now, Aston Villa have released a statement to confirm their ‘concerns’ with Bramall and the ‘selection process of match officials’.
‘Aston Villa can confirm the club has written to the PGMOL to raise concerns over the selection process of match officials following today’s game with Manchester United at Old Trafford,’ the club statement read.
‘With such high stakes surrounding today’s fixture, the club believe a more experienced referee should have been appointed. Of the 10 referees to officiate across the Premier League today, Mr. Bramall was the 2nd least experienced.
‘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.
‘As per the standards that have been established over the course of the season, a decision to whistle early is clearly inconsistent with current refereeing guidelines. VAR exists to ensure that these types of situations receive the scrutiny they deserve. Unfortunately, the technology was not allowed to serve its purpose.
‘Ultimately, we acknowledge that the outcome for us will not change, but we believe that it is important to address the selection methodology to ensure that high stakes matches are treated as such with regards to officiating and to ensure that the implemented VAR technology is allowed to be effective.’