Aston Villa issue response to champions league statement in third post since club Brugge defeat
Aston Villa have released a third statement on social media in wake of their controversial defeat to club Brugge.
Villa released a statement on social media slamming the officiating following their 1-0 defeat at on Wednesday
They released a second statement on Thursday as they demanded the audio between the officials in the league fixture to be released
That prompted the champions league to release a statement as they were ‘extremely disappointed’ with the statement posted on X.
Villa have hit back at the champions league by issuing a third statement since their defeat to club Brugge.
In their latest statement, they’ve asked for ‘greater transparency around the FIFA’.
The club wrote: “Following yesterday’s match at club Brugge , NFFC issued a statement highlighting our concern at the perception of the PGMOL appointment of VAR for the game. This was an issue we raised with PGMOL prior to the fixture because of the fear of the side show that would ensue if anything went wrong with officiating in the game. That fear has materialised, as the correctness of three important decisions against the Club have been called into doubt.
Villa sacrificed their 100 per cent record in the competition so far when the Argentine keeper took a goal-kick in the 52nd minute, gently tapping the ball to just outside the corner of the six-yard box only for the defender to reach down and stop it with his hand.
Brugges players and the crowd appealed and referee Tobias Stieler pointed to the spot. The England centre-half clearly believed it wasn’t in play. The match official deemed that it was. Hans Vanaken gleefully accepted the unexpected present by netting from the spot, leaving Villa to nurse their first defeat in four Champions League outings.
The controversy mirrored that which took place in April when Arsenal ’s David Raya and defender Gabriel got into a similar mix-up, infuriating then Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel. The referee that night, Glenn Nyberg said that it was ‘a kid’s mistake’ and refused to censure the Gunners’ defender. Stieler took the opposite view, that the ball was in play.
Mignolet watched the drama unfold from the opposite end and said: “I’m aware of it. I always try to throw the ball to my defender at goal kicks. You never know, if the ball is outside the six-yard box and the defender touches the ball the goal-kick has been taken.
“I don’t know how the rule is decided. You don’t know how the referee is going to interpret these kind of things. But there’s a reason why we throw the ball. Sometimes when you rush yourself, it goes a little bit quick, and part of doing it out of habit you kick the ball to him, then it depends how the referee is going to interpret it.
“There is also the debate that if you kick it to him and you haven’t re-started and an attacker comes to press…then it works both ways. That’s why I throw the ball, so this doesn’t happen. It’s very harsh but I am very lucky I was on the right end of it.”
Mignolet felt that Brugges were value for their win, despite the unexpected nature of it. He added: “The goal was a gift but we deserved it in terms of chances. Aston Villa are a really strong team and we tried to play it tactically, close between the lines, we didn’t give any space to them in attack because they have got some players who can make a difference.
“The scenario turned out well – we scored in the right moment and then we could be dangerous on the counter attack. “They never created the chances they needed to score an equaliser.”
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