Aston Villa have expressed fury after the Premier League agreed to move their home match against Tottenham Hotspur forward by 48 hours to Friday, May 16, to accommodate Spurs' potential Europa League final participation. The club's director of football operations, Damien Vidagany, took to social media to accuse the league of 'clear prejudice' against Villa fans, who he said were inconvenienced by the short notice.
Villa argued that they pushed to keep the game on Sunday, May 18, but were overruled. Vidagany wrote on X: 'Fixture changed and, honestly, not happy. We really pushed to protect our fans (our main task and duty) and keep the Spurs match on Sunday. Nothing against Spurs. Considering the alternatives, (much worse on the Wednesday or Thursday) and the process conducted the final outcome is less damaging.'
The club is still smarting from a similar rearrangement earlier this season when their game against Liverpool was moved to allow the Reds to play in the Carabao Cup final. That fixture was squeezed into February, leaving Villa with six Premier League matches that month and just one in March. Vidagany added: 'We didn't feel this support last season - or this one. European football is not only demanding for English clubs on the verge of finals.'
Villa reluctantly accepted the change, with Vidagany concluding: 'Now we need to accept and create the best atmosphere we can for our team. Remain confident: We did, and will do, everything for Aston Villa Football Club.' The club hopes that in future, the Premier League will be equally supportive if Villa need changes to help them in Europe.
