Aston Villa to lodge complaint after referee howler costs them UCL

Aston Villa are reportedly set to lodge an official complaint to the Premier League after a questionable howler from referee Thomas Bramall cost them a Champions League place for next season.

Villa feels cheated by some poor decisions by the referee of the day and will lodge a complaint over the appointment of referee Bramall after the final day loss to Manchester United that saw Morgan Rogers’ goal controversially ruled out and Emi Martinez sent off.

According to The Athletic, the Villans are set to make an official complaint to the Premier League over the selection of Thomas Bramall as the referee for their clash with Man United on the final day of the season.

The club believes that referee Bramall’s inexperience showed on Sunday, given the stakes surrounding the game. Villa needed to win to have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League, but were beaten 2-0 at Old Trafford.

Emiliano Martinez received his marching orders in the first half after a horrible challenge on United forward Rasmus Hojlund while outside of the box.

Meanwhile, Morgan Rogers saw a goal ruled out after poking the ball away from goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and finishing in the second half.

However, unfortunately, referee Bramall had already blown for a free-kick, preventing the VAR from reviewing the incident.

The score remained 0-0 at the time, and United then scored twice, through Amad Diallo and a Christian Eriksen penalty.

Villa midfielder John McGinn said after the game:

“The decision is incredible. Everyone wanted the correct decisions when VAR was implemented. In rugby, if a try is given then it can be overturned if it’s wrong.

“I know the rule but it’s hard on us. For him to blow his whistle at that point, it’s really, really tough to handle. It’s a really costly one. We only needed a point to reach the Champions League.”

Villa manager Unai Emery could not hold back after the game. The Spanish boss insisted that he knew about his error on the day.

Manager Unai Emery even claimed Bramall knew he had made an error, adding:

“I spoke with the referee and he knows his mistakes.

“It’s normal, I make mistakes every day. Today, I made mistakes. Players make mistakes on the field.

“Sometimes with referees, we have to accept mistakes. I believe in VAR and we have very good referees in the Premier League.”

Villa win at Old Trafford would have seen them qualify for the Champions League next season, after Newcastle United lost 1-0 to Everton on Sunday afternoon.

Bramall has officiated just 11 Premier League games this season and is also currently in the running to officiate Championship games.