Matty Cash: ‘Referee could have got in trouble’ after new twist in Aston Villa controversy – pundit
Referee Peter Bankes may have been punished if he did not book Matty Cash for his celebration when he opened the scoring for Aston Villa as they beat Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (26 February).
That is the view of Aston Villa’s record Premier League goalscorer Gabby Agbonlahor, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about Cash’s celebration.
The right-back took off his shirt to reveal a message of support for his Poland teammate Tomasz Kedziora who plays for Dynamo Kyiv and has remained in the Ukrainian capital.
Cash’s undershirt had ‘Tomasz Kedziora and family – stay strong bro’ written on it.
The Athletic reported the 24-year-old was not booked for the political message but for simply removing his Aston Villa shirt.
“That Matty Cash goal was so important,” Agbonlahor told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley
“On the celebration, it’s hard because if the rule is that if you take your shirt off you get a yellow card then it’s a hard one for the referee not to do that.
“If the referee does that then maybe he gets in trouble for not sticking to the rules.
“He didn’t get sent off because of it so anyone in Matty Cash’s position would have done the same thing.
“It’s a tough one to criticise the referee for.”
Cash’s long-range strike at the Amex was his second goal for Aston Villa since his move from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2020.
The two-time international is under contract at Villa Park until the summer of 2025.
In other news, Aston Villa will listen to offers for a key player hailed as ‘brilliant’ by Jamie Carragher.