Forget all of the fans who made plans and accommodations or otherwise; the Aston Villa vs. Tottenham Hotspur fixture has now been moved. Despite the appeals and genuine reasoning for Villa to ensure a level, equal approach for all, those correct points, however, have since been ignored.
The match that had been scheduled for Sunday, May 18th, will now take place two days earlier on Friday, May 16th. As shared on the AVFC website. It's an effort to provide a competitive balance between a prospective Europa League final between Spurs and Manchester United. Moving allows both squads to have the same amount of days to prepare in the event that they advance.
While United now have a home leg with a 3-0 lead, the same can't be said for Spurs. FK Bodø/Glimt now host the second leg against Tottenham with only a two-goal deficit. Considering what Villa fans witnessed against PSG and the overall inconsistency from Ange Postecoglou's side, it's far from a guarantee that the Prem team qualifies in Norway.
Beside the point of what's likely or probable in this year's UEL competition, it shows a blatant bias for perceived top sides that would not even consider being afforded to others.
Yes, it would have been something of an advantage for ManU to have more days between matches. That's part of the challenge of a campaign and a schedule that was well-established beforehand.
To now make such an abrupt change within two weeks of the final Villa Park fixture for the year shows complete tone deafness and willingness to stomp on the supporters and staff who allow the game to flourish in the first place.
Potential scenario that would bring some consolation for Aston Villa fans
The chance has now been made, and future seasons will undoubtedly have teams asking for reschedules and pointing to this exact occasion to justify moving things around. The FA will have no one else to blame but themselves.
That being said, it would be something of a form of poetic justice if Bodø/Glimt were to be the ones who end up making it to the final.