Professional Game Match Officials Limited made a “poor management decision” in appointing Thomas Bramall to officiate Aston Villa’s defeat by Manchester United, says former referees’ boss Keith Hackett.
Villa have complained to referees’ body PGMOL about Bramall after he made a “big mistake” in their 2-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday that contributed to them missing out on the Champions League.
Bramall blew for a foul when Morgan Rogers nudged the ball away from United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir before the Villa midfielder put the ball in the net.
Bramall thought Bayindir had two hands on the ball, though television footage suggested otherwise, and because he stopped play before the ball crossed the line, the video assistant referee (VAR) could not intervene.
Villa’s complaint is that “one of the most inexperienced referees in the Premier League” was appointed to such an important match.
Bramall, 35, first refereed in the Premier League in August 2022 and his games this season have largely been in either the top flight or the second tier, with 11 in the Premier League and 12 in the Championship.
Of the 10 referees appointed for Sunday’s final round of the Premier League, Bramall has officiated the second-fewest top-flight matches this season, above Lewis Smith, who took charge of his seventh game in Bournemouth’s win over Leicester.
In a response to a Talksport video on X of former Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor criticising Bramall’s performance, Hackett said PGMOL “do not learn”.
The former Premier League referee added: “Our top referee Michael Oliver was operating VAR on a game. What a poor management decision.”
Hackett, who was chief of PGMOL under its former name Professional Game Match Officials Board, also told Football Insider he “would have expected one of our top officials to have been appointed” to the Manchester United-Aston Villa match.
He added he was “surprised and disappointed” that Oliver was appointed VAR for Tottenham’s defeat by Brighton and it was “difficult to understand” why he was not picked to referee “a big game” in Sunday’s final round.
Oliver has refereed 26 Premier League matches this season, behind only Anthony Taylor – who was in charge of Chelsea’s win at Nottingham Forest – on 31.
