‘Top six bias’: Premier League accused of ‘clear prejudice’ after Tottenham call

The Premier League has been accused of showing “clear prejudice” against Aston Villa supporters after opting to reschedule its game with Tottenham.

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The match, which was initially scheduled to be played on Sunday, May 18 (local time) has been moved forward two days to accommodate Tottenham’s quest to win the Europa League.

Spurs is in a strong position to qualify for the final, having beaten Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of their semi-final, and asked the Premier League if its game at Villa Park could take place on the Friday.

Tottenham is scheduled to play either Manchester United or Athletic Bilbao on May 21 in Spain and would have had just three days to prepare without the extension.

But that decision has left Villa and its fans fuming given they are gunning for a top-five finish in the Premier League and already had a request to move their home game against Liverpool in March rejected.

Damian Vidagany, Villa’s director of football operations, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his frustration in a lengthy post in which he accused the Premier League of showing a “clear prejudice” against the club and its fans.

“Hopefully in the future all of them would remind the clear prejudice in this case to Villa fans and will be consistent and equally supportive, if we need changes to help us in Europe,” he wrote.

“We didn’t feel this support last season or this one. European football is not only demanding for English clubs just on the verge of the finals.”

Meanwhile, speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor questioned if it was another example of the Premier League’s “top six bias”.

“I don’t like that because Aston Villa fans, I’ve seen it all over social media, it’s only 10 days away,” he said.

“They’re paying for tickets, they’re paying for flights, they’re paying for hotels.

“The Premier League now have done Spurs a favour, when they didn’t do it for Aston Villa when they had PSG (in the Champions League). Is that a top six bias that they’re using? I don’t get it.”