Aston Villa Football Club has lodged a complaint with the Football Referees’ Association in England (PGMOL) regarding a significant officiating error made by referee Thomas Bramall in their recent match against Manchester United. This defeat saw the Birmingham club miss out on a chance to qualify for the Champions League.

Late last night, Aston Villa announced that they had raised concerns with the PGMOL about appointing a 35-year-old referee for such a crucial match during the Premier League’s final round.

“Due to the high stakes of this encounter, the club believes that a more seasoned referee should have been appointed. Among the ten referees officiating in the last round, Bramall was the second least experienced. The decision to disallow Morgan Rodgers’ goal, which would have put the club ahead with just 17 minutes to play, played a pivotal role in their failure to secure a Champions League spot,” Villa stated in a report by Sky.

Aston Villa suffered a 2-0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, landing them in sixth place in the Premier League—enough for qualification to next season’s Europa League. They were just one point away from fifth place, which secures a Champions League berth. Despite their loss, Newcastle held onto fifth place.

With goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez sent off just before halftime, Aston Villa played the second half with ten players. They managed to score when Morgan Rodgers skillfully maneuvered past goalkeeper Altay Bayindir to find the net, but referee Bramall ruled out the goal due to an alleged foul on the keeper.

Bramall believed the goalkeeper had both hands on the ball, thus penalizing Villa. However, TV replays suggested otherwise, and since play was halted before the ball crossed the line, VAR could not intervene.

Just minutes later, in the 76th minute, United took the lead with a goal from Amadou Diallo, and Christian Eriksen sealed the win with a penalty in the 87th minute.

“While we understand the outcome won’t change, it’s crucial to focus on the selection process for referees to ensure that matches of this significance are managed appropriately and that VAR technology functions effectively,” the statement concluded.

Bramall officiated his first Premier League match in August 2022 and has since overseen 11 top-flight matches and 12 in the Championship.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery expressed his outrage after the match, stating that it was evidently a major mistake.

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