Aston Villa are not happy that they were forced into accepting a date change for their fixture against Tottenham Hotspur in order to accommodate the North London club’s preparations for a potential Europa League final.
It was widely reported that Aston Villa were trying to block Spurs’ request to have the fixture at Villa Park pushed forward.
However, Tottenham Hotspur got their way in the end, with their trip to Villa Park being moved forward by 48 hours.
The Premier League clash will now take place on May 16, instead of two days later, to help Spurs, should they complete the job against Bodo Glimt and reach the Europa League final.
The final will be played in Bilbao on May 21, and the fixture change means that Postecoglou’s men now have two more days to prepare for the showpiece event if they get there.
Aston Villa accuse the Premier League of prejudice
Aston Villa have now reacted to the decision, insisting that there had been a ‘clear prejudice’ against them, with the Premier League choosing to prioritise Tottenham’s Europa League campaign.
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The club’s director of football operations, Damien Vidagany, explained that they fought the fixture change all the way but eventually had to reluctantly accept it.
He suggested that the Villa fans are being inconvenienced by the short notice period regarding the date change.
Premier League made the right decision, not just for Tottenham
It would have been difficult for Tottenham to play at Villa Park, just three days before their trip to Bilbao for the final.
The Premier League made the right decision to give the Lilywhites a couple of more days’ rest to ensure that Man United do not get an advantage in the final should both sides get there.
While the short notice is extremely inconvenient for match-going fans, it was the only course of action that could be taken.