Exclusive: ‘Extremely sad’ Thomas Bramall sanction update after Aston Villa howler
Howard Webb must protect Thomas Bramall following his mistake in Aston Villa’s crucial defeat to Man United, according to Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the referee needs to spend time away from the pitch, but should not see it as a form of punishment for his error.
Unai Emery‘s side were just one victory away from qualifying for the Champions League again with a top-five finish in the Premier League table, with all of that resting on the final day of the season.
Emi Martinez was sent off in the first half, wiping out Rasmus Hojlund outside the penalty area, but it was nearly the Villans who netted the opening goal at Villa Park, only to have the goal disallowed.
Aston Villa’s Champions League hopes crushed at Villa Park
It became clear very quickly that United’s goalkeeper, Altay Bayindir, was not in control of the ball when Morgan Rogers stole it, but it was too late as Bramall had prematurely blown his whistle.
With the Villans down to 10 men, goals from Amad Diallo and Christian Eriksen would eventually hand all three points to Ruben Amorim’s side, causing PSR concerns to emerge for the Midlands club.
Youri Tielemans has already been linked with a Villa exit, and so too have Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Jacob Ramsey, which could have been avoided had Emery’s side not dropped into the Europa League.
Despite this, and the ongoing discussion around Bramall’s future refereeing displays, Hackett has sent a reminder that officials are humans too, that mistakes can happen, and that Webb must protect the referee.
Howard Webb not to confuse sanction and protection for Thomas Bramall
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee, while shaking his head, said: “Referees are human beings; they will make errors. I was surprised because Thomas Bramall is a good referee, and on occasion, does apply good advantages.
“When you analyse this specific incident, he was out of position and did the cardinal sin of guessing. As referees, you only give what you can see. The stadium might disagree, but if you’re fit and mobile, he’s in position.
“The negative here is that Bramall didn’t use his fitness to get into a good position. I think it’s easy for Howard Webb and his coaches to get a message across to Bramall, who will be extremely sad to have been caught out.
“But how do you sanction? People have criticised me when I’ve said ‘they won’t referee next week’. They see that as punishment. The reality is that you’re applying protection.
“The Premier League’s atmosphere is like a furnace, one that’s in your face hour after hour after hour. When I made a mistake, it would be on the Monday newspapers and the Tuesday fish and chip paper, forgotten, completely forgotten.
“I’d have taken him out of a future game so that he could have a rest and contemplate what happened. He will not make a similar mistake in the future. Webb sees taking the player away as a sanction, but that, for me, is protecting the referee.”