Villa make refereeing complaint after missing out on Champions League

Aston Villa have complained to referees' body PGMOL after a "big mistake" by official Thomas Bramall contributed to them losing 2-0 at Manchester United and missing out on the Champions League.

With the match goalless and Villa down to 10 men after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was correctly sent off, the visitors thought they had scored when Morgan Rogers nudged the ball away from United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and slotted home.

However, Bramall blew for a foul, thinking Bayindir had two hands on the ball, though television footage showed otherwise.

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

Moments later, Amad Diallo headed United in front - and Christian Eriksen's late penalty condemned Villa to a defeat that meant they finished sixth and missed out on Champions League football on goal difference.

In Villa's post-match news conference, director of football operations Damian Vidagany said the club were unhappy 35-year-old Bramall had been given such an important game.

"We are going to send a complaint," said Vidagany. "The complaint is not about the decision, it is about the selection of the referee - one of the most inexperienced referees in the Premier League.

"It's not about the decision, clearly it was a mistake. The complaint is about the referee. The problem is why the international referees were not here today."

A later statement issued by Villa added: "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.

"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 acknowledge the outcome will not change, but we believe it is important to address the selection methodology to ensure high stakes matches are treated as such with regards to officiating and to ensure the implemented VAR technology is allowed to be effective."

Bramall first refereed in the Premier League in August 2022 and his games this season have largely been in either the top flight or the second tier, with 11 in the Premier League and 12 in the Championship.

Villa boss Unai Emery was visibly furious with the decision to disallow Rogers' goal - and award United their late penalty.

Speaking after the game, he said: "The TV is clear but, of course, we have to accept it. It was a mistake. A big mistake."

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited - the body responsible for refereeing games in English professional football - declined to comment.

So, what do the Football Association laws say?

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."

A message on social media from the Premier League match centre read: "The referee's call was a free-kick to Manchester United with Bayindir deemed to be in control of the ball before Rogers gained possession.

"The whistle was blown by the referee before the ball entered the goal, therefore the incident was not reviewable 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".

He added: "Everyone wanted the correct decisions when the VAR was implemented. You watch rugby... even if the referee has awarded a try and it's wrong, it's 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. If you were 1-0 up at that point and all you need is a point to get to the Champions League, it's costly.

"The referee didn't really know what to say. He is a young referee who has progressed very quickly. Maybe we could look at having more experienced referees."

Villa were probably the club in greatest need of qualify for the Champions League next season because they have made the second highest losses in Premier League history (£678m) - only exceeded by Chelsea (£1.257bn).

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.

Since being promoted to the Premier League in 2019, Villa - under new owners Wes Edens and Nas Sawiris - have been one of the bigger spenders in terms of transfer fees - investing more than £868m on players. The owners have backed a series of managers - Steve Bruce, Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard and Unai Emery - but at a significant 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.

A lot of the transfers have been on credit terms which, while not unusual in the Premier League, means Villa owe more than £150m in previous purchases. Champions League qualification would have helped the club deal with the cash requirements in respect of some of these former player purchases.

Villa have only managed to break even once in the past 15 years, and that was solely because of the sale of Jack Grealish. Former owners Randy Lerner and Tony Xia both walked away from the club having lost over £100m.

Villa's wages-to-revenue ratio last year was 96% and only the last-gasp £42m sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus ensured they would comply with financial regulations.

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.

It is likely sales will be needed this summer but who could go?

Martinez's emotional reaction at the end of Villa's final home game of the season suggested he feels his time at 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.

Villa have a £40m option to turn Marcus Rashford's loan from Manchester United permanent but it is difficult to see that happening in the Europa League.

Barcelona have publicly stated their interest in the England international, and while Rashford has enjoyed his time at Villa, there have been no talks over a permanent deal and a move to Spain would be difficult to resist.

Real Madrid loanee Marco Asensio has made a bigger impact, and reports have suggested talks over a move from PSG have begun. A place in the Champions League would have helped that.