Aston Villa director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, has humorously jabbed at Newcastle United in the aftermath of their Boxing Day clash. Despite a 3-0 defeat at St James’ Park, the game was not without its share of drama and controversy.
Newcastle emerged victorious from the match with goals from Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Joelinton. However, the game was far from smooth sailing. The first half saw Jhon Duran sent off for a stamp on Fabian Schar’s back in the 32nd minute. This incident sparked tempers that boiled over into the tunnel at half-time.
The fallout resulted in Magpies’ assistant Jason Tindall and Villa analyst Victor Manas also being dismissed from the pitch. Tindall is now set to serve a one-match touchline ban for United’s trip to Manchester United on Monday. However, both teams could face additional repercussions as an investigation has been launched by FA into these events.
Unai Emery's frustration over red card decision
Villa boss Unai Emery expressed his frustration during his post-match press conference about Duran’s dismissal which he felt changed the flow of the game significantly. His sentiments were echoed by Vidagany who took to social media platform X to voice his opinion:
Aston Villa director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, said:
"3 matches [ban] for Jhon Duran. You know what? The most damaged here is not Villa.
“It is the credibility of the ones that made this decisions.. We are going to keep fighting, nothing will destroy us and we will overcome all this unfair decisions. And we will behave like gentleman."
"One Newcastle supporter responded: "Hopefully the fight is stronger than that whimper we witnessed yesterday, Damian." In response to this comment Vidagany humorously pointed out Newcastle's absence from this season's Champions League fixtures:
"Hopefully,” he replied. “We will see every weekend if we can... I think easier for you to follow us Tuesday and Wednesday [Champions League days]. Not really busy days for you."
Despite acknowledging that Newcastle had played better and deserved their win, Vidagany maintained that the red card decision was unjust. This incident has added another layer of intrigue to an already heated rivalry between Aston Villa and Newcastle United. With both teams potentially facing further punishment from FA, it remains to be seen how this saga will unfold.
