Aston Villa told to appeal Marco Bizot red card as ex-refs chief rages at ‘stupid’ statement
Aston Villa could have grounds to have Marco Bizot’s red card rescinded based on the reasoning for the goalkeeper’s sending off against Newcastle United.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Unai Emery‘s side can argue against Denial of a Goalscoring Opportunity (DOGSO) at Villa Park.
Chris Kavanagh was slammed for his display in the FA Cup fourth round, but sending Villa‘s second-choice goalkeeper for an early shower was one of his correct decisions on Saturday, 14 February.
It was announced, however, that Kavanagh gave the decision as DOGSO, rather than putting Newcastle‘s Jacob Murphy in danger with a horrendous challenge, opening the incident up to debate.
Aston Villa could find a loophole as Marco Bizot sent off
Should the Villans appeal against Bizot’s red card, Hackett believes there is a chance that it could be rescinded due to the wording of the decision.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “If they [the FA] stick to the idea that the goalkeeper was sent off for a Denial of a Goalscoring Opportunity, the club have an opportunity to appeal the decision.
“There are questions to ask about the criteria: the probability of the forward controlling the ball, distance from goal, direction of play and the position of defenders.
“I take the point that there are two attackers, but there is a defender. The thing that deserved a red card was serious foul play, not DOGSO.
“Whoever the statements are coming from needs to swat up on the laws before they make stupid statements. If they stick to their guns and the charge is DOGSO, appeal!”
Which games will Bizot miss for Aston Villa?
Given that the decision of DOGSO was made, the second-choice shot-stopper could miss just one game – Villa’s Premier League clash with Leeds United on Saturday, 21 February.
Had it been for serious foul play, he would also be missing against Wolves and Chelsea, but given the likelihood of Emi Martinez starting either way, it is not the most worrying of situations.
Emery will still need to fill Bizot’s position on the bench when Villa Park hosts the Whites, and that player could be 21-year-old James Wright, who was in the squad against RB Salzburg last month.
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