Controversial referee decision
Champions League missed: Aston Villa is protesting
May 26, 2025 – 10:56 a.m.Reading time: 1 min.
On the last matchday of the season, Aston Villa slipped out of the Champions League ranks. It was a broke in Manchester. However, the club does not want to accept it.
After the missed Champions League-Platz, Aston Villa lodged a complaint against a controversial referee decision. The club from Birmingham lost 0-2 at Manchester United on Sunday and thus missed fifth place in the Premier League. A draw would have been enough to protect participation in the premier class.
The focus of the protest is a scene at 0-0. In the 73rd minute, Morgan Rogers hit the goal for villa – but the goal didn’t count. The referee had already kicked off the campaign for a supposed foul game. Since the whistle took place before the goal, the Var was not allowed to intervene.
The club turned to the referee organization Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) with a complaint. In an official statement, Aston Villa sharply criticized the procedure: The decision not to recognize Rogers’ hits “had” contributed significantly to the Champions League.
According to Villa, an early final whistle “clearly violates the current referee guidelines”. The VAR should ensure that such scenes are checked appropriately – in this case, however, the technology “did not do justice to its purpose,” said the club. How big the chances of success are that the protest is granted is open.