Aston Villa will appeal Anwar El Ghazi‘s red card following a dramatic 1-1 draw with Leeds United, it is understood. The Dutchman was sent-off after Leeds striker Patrick Bamford theatrically fell to the ground clutching his face. Replays proved there had been no contact between the duo.
Aston Villa to Appeal Anwar El Ghazi Red Card
Controversy
The incident came in the aftermath of Mateusz Klich‘s opener for the hosts while Jonathan Kodjia was down injured. Villa’s calls for the ball to be kicked out so that treatment could be given were ignored.
Villa are preparing to send video footage to the FA in order to appeal referee Stuart Attwell’s decision.
The referee’s report from the game will be explored in relation to a number of incidents during the match.
However, the Villains, who are unbeaten in twelve games, could be punished for the actions of Conor Hourihane. The Villa midfielder appeared to punch Leeds’ Mateusz Klich after the opening goal.
The FA recently introduced a new offence of ‘Successful Deception of a Match Official’ at the start of last season. If a player is found guilty, they will be awarded a retrospective two-match ban.
Should Anwar El Ghazi’s red card not get overturned, he will miss Villa’s final game of the season on Sunday against promoted Norwich City and both legs of the play-off semi-final.
If Bamford receives a punishment, he will miss Leeds’ season concluding tie at Ipswich and the first leg of the semi-final.
Missing Out
The result meant Leeds missed out on automatic promotion at the expense of Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United, who were confirmed as runners-up to Norwich.
It’s now the third year running in which the Whites can be considered to have ‘bottled’ promotion, but this one will no doubt hurt the most after it looked like a sure thing for so much of the season.
Main Photo
