Aston Villa missed out on qualifying for the Champions League on Sunday. After losing 2-0 to Manchester United, the club has now lodged an appeal.
Villa finished the Premier League season in sixth place after losing 2-0 to Manchester United. They were just one point short of fifth place, which would have secured them a ticket to the Champions League. Now, coach Unai Emery’s team will “only” compete in the Europa League.
But the club has not quite finished with the season yet, as it has now lodged a protest against the defeat at the Red Devils. The reason for the anger was a scene when the score was 0-0. Villa pro Morgan Rogers scored (73′), but referee Thomas Bramall had already blown his whistle for a supposed foul before the ball crossed the line.
What exactly happened? United keeper Altay Bayindir slid in, tried to pick up the ball, but lost it to Rogers, who poked it out of his hands. Villa’s attacker then shot the ball into the empty net, but the referee ruled it a foul. Since referee Bramall had blown his whistle before Rogers’ shot, the VAR could only review the challenge between Bayindir and Rogers. No foul was given – bad luck for Villa.
The Premier League’s sixth-placed team has now announced in a statement that the club has contacted the refereeing organization Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) about the decision.
“Unfortunately, the technology failed to fulfill its purpose.”
“The decision not to award Morgan Rogers’ goal (…) was a significant factor in the club not qualifying for the Champions League. In accordance with the standards established during the season, an early final whistle is a clear violation of current refereeing guidelines,” the statement said. The VAR should ‘ensure that such situations receive the attention they deserve. Unfortunately, the technology failed to fulfill its purpose.’