Latest news with #MorganRogers
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Aston Villa Slammed For $150M Whining -But Blame Lies With Klopp
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa reacts after a goal from Morgan Rogers (not ... More pictured) is disallowed during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Aston Villa FC at Old Trafford on May 25, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by) Aston Villa knew it needed to win at Old Trafford to stand any chance of qualifying for the Champions League. As far as end-of-season assignments went, this was not a trip that would have provided much trepidation for Unai Emery's side. Manchester United has been rotten all season and had weary legs from a demoralising defeat in the Europa League final just days earlier. But inexplicably, Villa contrived to lose the game, thanks in no small part to goalkeeper Emi Martinez's sending off in the first half for a bizarre body-check on Rasmus Hojlund. The Red Devils deserved to win what was a drab contest. However, in the aftermath of defeat, the club showed no public signs of introspection and instead zeroed in on a refereeing mistake that denied the Villains a goal. Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir was going to ground to collect the ball when he fumbled, allowing Morgan Rogers to nip in and score what Villa believed would have proved to be a crucial goal. However, referee Thomas Bramall blew his whistle, on the reasonable basis that, from his angle, Bayindir had two hands on the ball, which, by the laws of soccer, would mean Rogers had committed a foul. The official's decision to stop play meant the Video Assistant couldn't intervene despite replays subsequently showing in slow motion how Bayindir's fingers on one hand were, in fact, inches away from the ball. It was an incorrect decision, that was irrefutable, but to suggest that blowing the whistle was anything other than an honest mistake any referee could have made is ridiculous. Nevertheless, it quickly became clear postgame that Villa had decided upon both a narrative and a scapegoat. In the Birmingham club's post-match news conference, director of football operations Damian Vidagany highlighted 35-year-old Bramall's age and experience, claiming it was wrong for him to have been given such an important game. "We are going to send a complaint," Vidagany said. "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." Vidagany kept his word, and the club submitted a letter to the Professional Game Match Officials Board [PGMOL], doubling down on the point with drama. 'Of the 10 referees to officiate across the Premier League today, Mr Bramall was the second least experienced,' the club wrote. '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.' Condensing a whole season's worth of reasons for why Aston Villa hasn't qualified for Europe's top competition into one 'major contributing factor' is clearly ludicrous. But it was highly effective in determining the media narrative in the aftermath. There was a far greater furore around this split-second error, which any right-minded person should recognise had nothing to do with age or experience, than on Aston Villa failing to beat the worst Manchester United side in living memory. Take former player turned pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor's stunt on sports radio station Talk Sport. The ex-Villa striker wrote his own letter to the officiating body in response to the decision. "For the attention of the PGMOL and [its boss] Howard Webb. Not only have you cost Aston Villa [$150million], you have cost us in our battle with PSR. The same battle that we have every season,' he wrote. "You have also destroyed Aston Villa's chance to play Champions League football again. Which would attract bigger talent and help us keep our better players. LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Juergen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool, reacts during the Premier ... More League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 30, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by) Hysterical focus on referees and decisions is not a new phenomenon; ever since officials have made errors, a crazed fan has wailed about a conspiracy. What has changed, however, is the wild echo chamber within the modern media ecosystem, which, through clips shared millions of times on social platforms, transforms a marginal call into a 'disgraceful error' costing millions. That exists regardless of the actions of clubs, players or coaches. But what certainly doesn't make it any better is a club singling out a referee personally for criticism. As Villa points out in its statement, complaining doesn't change anything, so why attack the official publicy other than to scapegoat him? If the Birmingham team were the first to act in such a manner, that would be one thing. But the truth is that this pattern of behaviour, I would argue, began with Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool's actions after a goal was wrongly chalked off against Tottenham Hotspur in 2023 due to a horrendous VAR mix-up. Rather than fuming about the decision in the moment and then letting it go, they decided to escalate things. Klopp called for a replay while the club released a bizarre statement about the 'sporting integrity being undermined,' which concluded with the threatening line: 'We will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution." That statement proved something of a catalyst in the public trashing of the refereeing body. Weeks later, when Arsenal lost to a controversial Newcastle United goal, they decided to release an official line, hammering the PGMOL 'PGMOL urgently needs to address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations and apologies,' it said. Let's be honest. This is pathetic behaviour. These soccer clubs are businesses worth billions, with the infrastructure and strategies expected of such corporate behemoths. Every public statement is endlessly combed over by layers of management, which means there is little doubt that these attacks on referees or their governing body are highly calculated. They gain very little from attacking referees. In fact, the only consequence is that it creates the false perception that the game is poorly officiated, which it almost overwhelmingly isn't. That damages everyone in the long run because it causes people to lose faith. As Jonathan Wilson stated on The Guardian Football Weekly podcast, the referee's age or experience has nothing to do with Villa's failure. 'It's just pathetic. Grow up,' he said 'That's not why Villa aren't in the Champions League, they aren't in the Champions League because they haven't won enough games. They haven't beaten a terrible Manchester United.'
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
'Controversy and acrimony of defeat'
Here's my quick assessment of Aston Villa's Premier League season - and a return to my August prediction: 9thEnded the season: 6thAston Villa's fine season ended in the controversy and acrimony of defeat at Manchester United and that disallowed effort from Morgan Rogers, ending their hopes of a second successive season in the Champions League, where they reached the quarter-finals this Emery still produces work that should be the envy of clubs such as Manchester United and Tottenham. He will continue to demand progress under Villa's ambitious was certainly a tinge of disappointment in Villa's conclusion, with the mystifying 'no-show' in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley a big blot - then that final day defeat - but Emery has transformed Villa and, with outstanding youngsters such as Rogers, there is still much to be satisfied I said in August: "Champions League football will put an additional strain on Emery's squad but I fancy top four again."Read my assessments of the other 19 teams here
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aston Villa's Champions League miss wasn't just about one bad call
A season reduced to a single moment – in Aston Villa's case, perhaps even more than a season. The Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir slid out to gather the ball. He fumbled, slightly, allowing Morgan Rogers to poke the ball away from him. The referee Thomas Bramall thought Bayindir had had the ball under control and blew for a free-kick just before Rogers knocked the ball into the empty net. Replays showed decisively that Bayindir never had the ball under control. But because Bramall had stopped the game before Rogers put the ball over the line, the goal could not be given by the video assistant referee. Three minutes later, Amad Diallo put United ahead, his team went on to win, and Villa finished sixth in the Premier League, meaning they are out of next season's Champions League. Given how close Villa have pushed the line on Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR), that could have significant ramifications. Advertisement Related: Furious Villa to complain over choice of referee for costly defeat at Manchester United 'The key moment,' said Unai Emery, 'was the goal of Morgan Rogers and how the referee in this moment decided this action'. On Sunday evening, Aston Villa sent a letter to the PGMOL, the body that oversees refereeing in the Premier League, protesting that 'a more experienced referee' had not been appointed and stating that 'a decision to whistle early is clearly inconsistent with current refereeing guidelines'. Which, frankly, from a club that has done so much right in recent seasons, is all a bit embarrassing. Was Bramall's decision wrong? Yes. Was it an understandable error? Also yes: from Bramall's (entirely correct) position, 20 yards away, it's entirely reasonable that he didn't realise Bayindir hadn't claimed a simple ball easily, couldn't see that there was a half inch gap between the ball and the goalkeeper's glove. There are 17 minutes remaining, the game is becoming increasingly edgy, tempers fraying: he thinks he sees a forward going in slightly late on a goalkeeper and kicking the ball out of his hands, so he blows the whistle. Be decisive, control the moment, try to prevent any flare up before it has begun. Much of that sounds like good refereeing – it's just that Bayindir had made an inexplicable mistake. And this is where we run into VAR and the contortions into which it has forced the game. Somehow referees are now being asked not merely to decide whether something is a foul, but to assess in the moment how certain they are it is a foul; and, on that assessment, decide whether to blow the whistle immediately or whether to wait so that there is an opportunity to correct a potential mistake. Do we really want more ghost football, football that might be real but everybody suspects isn't? Taiwo Awoniyi's horror injury should be warning enough of the danger that presents. Advertisement This was a classic case of a club blaming a referee for their own shortcomings. Was that really the 'key moment' in the game? Or was the key moment the moment just before half-time when Matty Cash underhit a backpass, presenting the ball to Rasmus Højlund, who was then bodychecked by Emi Martínez, earning the goalkeeper an entirely merited red card? And this was Manchester United, a team who have been dreadful all year: maybe if you want to be in the Champions League, just beat them. Villa, of all clubs, should know how refereeing errors can have a major impact, for good or for ill. In 2020, Sheffield United were not awarded a goal against Villa that had clearly crossed the line because bodies in the way meant goalline technology could not function. Without the point that brought Villa, they would have finished below Bournemouth on goal difference and been relegated. Mistakes happen; the key is to put yourself in a position that if they go against you, they don't matter. The consequences of missing out on the top five could be profound. According to the Swiss Ramble Substack, in the last three-year window, Villa complied with PSR by only £12m – and that only after extending their accounting period by a month to take in the sales of Douglas Luiz, Ian Maatsen and Omari Kellyman. Although this season's Champions League revenue and the £60m sale of Jhon Durán in January will help, the £100m sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City will no longer count towards the next calculations, while there was a significant investment, at least in terms of wages, in Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, in January. Martínez has already been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, but he may not be the only significant departure this summer as Villa battle to comply with PSR. Swiss Ramble suggests they have probably already breached Uefa's squad cost control limits, although the sanctions for that are less severe. Villa will be among the favourites for next season's Europa League, a competition Emery has already won three times, but there will have to be retrenchment. The rise of a club cruelly checked by a refereeing mistake? That's how it will be portrayed, but if you sail that close to the wind, and leave the achievement of your objectives to the final 15 minutes of the season, there will always be the danger of events intervening.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Aston Villa's Champions League miss wasn't just about one bad call
A season reduced to a single moment – in Aston Villa's case, perhaps even more than a season. The Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir slid out to gather the ball. He fumbled, slightly, allowing Morgan Rogers to poke the ball away from him. The referee Thomas Bramall thought Bayindir had had the ball under control and blew for a free-kick just before Rogers knocked the ball into the empty net. Replays showed decisively that Bayindir never had the ball under control. But because Bramall had stopped the game before Rogers put the ball over the line, the goal could not be given by the video assistant referee. Three minutes later, Amad Diallo put United ahead, his team went on to win, and Villa finished sixth in the Premier League, meaning they are out of next season's Champions League. Given how close Villa have pushed the line on Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR), that could have significant ramifications. 'The key moment,' said Unai Emery, 'was the goal of Morgan Rogers and how the referee in this moment decided this action'. On Sunday evening, Aston Villa sent a letter to the PGMOL, the body that oversees refereeing in the Premier League, protesting that 'a more experienced referee' had not been appointed and stating that 'a decision to whistle early is clearly inconsistent with current refereeing guidelines'. Which, frankly, from a club that has done so much right in recent seasons, is all a bit embarrassing. Was Bramall's decision wrong? Yes. Was it an understandable error? Also yes: from Bramall's (entirely correct) position, 20 yards away, it's entirely reasonable that he didn't realise Bayindir hadn't claimed a simple ball easily, couldn't see that there was a half inch gap between the ball and the goalkeeper's glove. There are 17 minutes remaining, the game is becoming increasingly edgy, tempers fraying: he thinks he sees a forward going in slightly late on a goalkeeper and kicking the ball out of his hands, so he blows the whistle. Be decisive, control the moment, try to prevent any flare up before it has begun. Much of that sounds like good refereeing – it's just that Bayindir had made an inexplicable mistake. And this is where we run into VAR and the contortions into which it has forced the game. Somehow referees are now being asked not merely to decide whether something is a foul, but to assess in the moment how certain they are it is a foul; and, on that assessment, decide whether to blow the whistle immediately or whether to wait so that there is an opportunity to correct a potential mistake. Do we really want more ghost football, football that might be real but everybody suspects isn't? Taiwo Awoniyi's horror injury should be warning enough of the danger that presents. This was a classic case of a club blaming a referee for their own shortcomings. Was that really the 'key moment' in the game? Or was the key moment the moment just before half-time when Matty Cash underhit a backpass, presenting the ball to Rasmus Højlund, who was then bodychecked by Emi Martínez, earning the goalkeeper an entirely merited red card? And this was Manchester United, a team who have been dreadful all year: maybe if you want to be in the Champions League, just beat them. Villa, of all clubs, should know how refereeing errors can have a major impact, for good or for ill. In 2020, Sheffield United were not awarded a goal against Villa that had clearly crossed the line because bodies in the way meant goalline technology could not function. Without the point that brought Villa, they would have finished below Bournemouth on goal difference and been relegated. Mistakes happen; the key is to put yourself in a position that if they go against you, they don't matter. The consequences of missing out on the top five could be profound. According to the Swiss Ramble Substack, in the last three-year window, Villa complied with PSR by only £12m – and that only after extending their accounting period by a month to take in the sales of Douglas Luiz, Ian Maatsen and Omari Kellyman. Although this season's Champions League revenue and the £60m sale of Jhon Durán in January will help, the £100m sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City will no longer count towards the next calculations, while there was a significant investment, at least in terms of wages, in Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, in January. Martínez has already been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, but he may not be the only significant departure this summer as Villa battle to comply with PSR. Swiss Ramble suggests they have probably already breached Uefa's squad cost control limits, although the sanctions for that are less severe. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion Villa will be among the favourites for next season's Europa League, a competition Emery has already won three times, but there will have to be retrenchment. The rise of a club cruelly checked by a refereeing mistake? That's how it will be portrayed, but if you sail that close to the wind, and leave the achievement of your objectives to the final 15 minutes of the season, there will always be the danger of events intervening. This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@ and he'll answer the best in a future edition.
CNN
7 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Aston Villa fumes over refereeing decision after missing out on Champions League qualification
Aston Villa has been angered by a refereeing decision which the club says was a 'major contributing factor' in missing out on a spot in the Champions League. The controversial moment in question occurred in the 73rd minute of Villa's game against Manchester United on Sunday, when the final round of Premier League matches took place. United goalkeeper Altay Bayındır fumbled the ball on the edge of his area, allowing Villa forward Morgan Rogers to take possession and put the ball into the net. The incident would have given Villa a 1-0 lead, but referee Thomas Bramall judged that Bayındır had been in control of the ball and immediately whistled for a United free-kick, rather than letting play continue. As a result, the goal didn't stand and the incident couldn't be reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR). 'Aston Villa can confirm the club has written to the (refereeing body) PGMOL to raise concerns over the selection process of match officials following today's game with Manchester United at Old Trafford,' the club said in a statement on Sunday. '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 2nd least experienced.' It added: 'Ultimately, we acknowledge that the outcome for us will not change, but we believe that it is important to address the selection methodology to ensure that high stakes matches are treated as such with regards to officiating and to ensure that the implemented VAR technology is allowed to be effective.' CNN Sports has contacted the PGMOL, which oversees officiating in English soccer, for comment about the incident and on behalf of Bramall. The Premier League declined to comment. According to Sky Sports, Bramall has officiated 11 Premier League games this season, with 17 referees taking charge of more games. In an interview with TNT Sports, Villa manager Unai Emery said that Bramall had admitted to him that a mistake was made and that play should have been allowed to continue. 'We have to accept it,' said Emery. 'Of course, it was a mistake, a big mistake.' Amad Diallo gave United the lead shortly after the incident before Christian Eriksen's penalty in the 87th minute completed a 2-0 victory for the home side. A draw or win would have seen Villa, which played half the match with 10 men after goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez's red card, finish in the top five and qualify for the Champions League for the second season in a row. However, the club will instead play in the second-tier Europa League after placing sixth, level on points with Newcastle United but behind on goal difference. Qualifying for the Champions League comes with a huge financial boost for clubs. The 36 teams which qualified for last season's competition each earned a payment of around $21.2 million (€18.62 million). By contrast, qualifying for the Europa League is worth around $4.9 million (€4.31 million) to a club. 'It's tough to take, especially in the circumstances,' midfielder John McGinn told TNT Sports. 'I don't think any of us in the dressing room, anyone watching the game, felt like we deserved to win. Man United deserved to win … but the decision is incredible. He added: 'It's so, so hard to take, especially when the impact it has on us as a team and as a club is so big.'
