Villa lodge complaint over refereeing 'mistake' in 0-2 loss against United: 'A more experienced referee should have...'

Aston Villa have lodged a complaint with the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) accusing referee Thomas Bramall of potentially costing them a place in the next season of the UEFA Champions League with a “mistake” during their final Premier League match of the season, against Manchester United on Sunday.

Attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers appeared to have put Villa in the lead and on the path to the next season of the Champions League with a 73rd minute goal at the Old Trafford during the season's final round of fixtures .

Bramall, however, decided to consult the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) after Rogers appeared to have kicked the ball out of Altay Bayindir’s possession when the United keeper was on the verge of collecting the ball for a goal kick.

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The referee eventually ruled in favour of the ‘Red Devils’ by disallowing the goal, which did not go down too well with Villa manager Unai Emery and the rest of the club. Villa have since labelled the decision as a “major contributing factor to the club not qualifying for the Champions League.”

A more experienced referee should have been picked, Villa write in complaint

What’s interesting to note, however, is that Villa’s complaint isn’t focused on the decision itself but on the referee who had been assigned the match at Old Trafford.

“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,” read a statement from Aston Villa.

“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 second least experienced.

“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,” the statement added.

Ruben Amorim’s side, which had finished runners-up at the UEFA Europa League with a 1-0 loss against fellow Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao, would break the deadlock a little over a minute later thanks to an Amad Diallo header.

Christian Eriksen ensured United ended their worst season in over five decades on a winning note by scoring from the spot with three minutes left in regular time after defender Ian Maatsen was found to have stepped on Diallo’s ankle just inside the box.

As a result of their 0-2 loss at United’s home ground, Villa finished level on 66 points with Newcastle United. Newcastle, however, finished ahead of them at fifth, the last Champions League spot, due to a superior Goal Difference (21) compared to that of the ‘Villans’ (7), who had to contend with qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.

Villa had finished inside the top-10 at the end of the league phase of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League and had gone as far as the quarter-finals, where they bowed out with a narrow 4-5 aggregate defeat against Paris Saint-Germain – the team that would later beat Arsenal in the semi-finals and faces Inter Milan in the final in Munich on 1 June.