Aston Villa have lodged a formal complaint with the PGMOL (Political Match Officials) over the appointment of referee Thomas Bramall in their final Premier League game of the season against Manchester United,

which saw Villa lose and miss out on Champions League qualification after what they deemed to be a controversial incident.

Despite Villa being reduced to 10 men. They almost took the lead in the second half when Morgan Rogers snatched the ball from United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir and fired home,

but referee Bramall awarded United a free-kick, stating that Bayindir had been in control of the ball.

However, replays showed Bayindir had not used both hands at the time, and since the referee stopped play before the ball crossed the line, VAR could not intervene.

Villa went on to lose 2-0 and miss out on Champions League qualification on goal difference, despite Newcastle’s defeat to Everton.

Villa released a statement on Sunday evening confirming that they had lodged a complaint:

“The club can confirm that it has written to the PGMOL to express its concerns about the refereeing process. After the game against Manchester United at Old Trafford today, “

given the importance of such a high-stakes game. The club believes more experienced referees should be appointed. Of the 10 referees to have officiated in the Premier League today. Bramall is the second-least experienced. Bramall

has officiated just 11 Premier League games this season, with 17 other referees having officiated more than him. Speaking

after the game, Villa’s director of football operations Damian Vidagani said:

“This complaint is not about the refereeing, it’s about the appointment of the referee. One of the least experienced referees has been chosen to officiate one of the toughest games of the season. Involving four or five other teams. “It’s not about the refereeing. The decision

was clearly wrong and the referee apologised. There’s nothing we can do about it. The problem is why hasn’t an internationally experienced referee officiated the game?”