Aston Villa considering Jonathan Kodjia appeal following Fulham sending off
Villa will consider appealing Jonathan Kodjia's red card at Fulham with their top scorer facing a three-game ban which would end his season.
The 27-year-old was dismissed just 22 minutes into Villa's 3-1 defeat at Craven Cottage, after appearing to aim a kick at Fulham right-back Ryan Fredericks.
But the decision enraged Villa boss Steve Bruce, who directed most of his ire at fourth official Michael Salisbury, who advised referee David Coote following the incident.
Bruce believes the officials over-reacted by deciding to show Kodjia a straight red card and felt Fredericks was at least deserving of equal punishment, after appearing to provoke the Villa striker with a kick of his own.
Villa will now assess footage of the incident before deciding whether to launch an appeal, with Kodjia facing a suspension which would rule him out of Villa's three remaining games, including next Sunday's derby with Blues.
Bruce said: "It can't be deemed as violent conduct, surely? We will have to see. I hope he looks at it because the referee did not give it, the fourth official did and he was being busy all afternoon.
"Had he concentrated on the incident instead of looking at me in my technical area he might have got the decision right.
"There was nothing in it, The referee did not see much in it because there wasn't much in it. "You have to dissect it. Why were there not just two yellow cards? It was a bit of petulance, a bit of handbags and on we go."
Kodjia needed only one more goal to become the first Villa player since Peter Withe to score 20 during a league campaign now but may not get the chance.
And Bruce continued: "The fourth official asked me four times to step inside my technical area in the first 12 minutes. I was standing one time six inches out.
"It was him who gave the decision. He has missed the first kick on Kodjia. That has provoked him. Is it a kick, or is a dabble, or whatever? I don't think it is a kick, that is for sure.
"What they don't understand is we have 3,500 here spending hard earned money. It is live on the TV. We want to see it. We want to see the big players perform.
"If he was going to send of Kodjia then he has to send off theirs and he has missed their boy kicking out, which provoked it. It was a poor decision as far as I am concerned."
Villa were already trailing to Ryan Sessegnon's early strike when Kodjia was dismissed and though they drew level early in the second half, thanks to a superb Jack Grealish strike, further goals from Sone Aluko and Neeskens Kebano earned Fulham a comfortable win.
Bruce continued: "Maybe we would not have been good enough to beat them but it is a hell of an advantage when you are playing here for more than an hour with an extra man, against a team who played 48 hours ago.
"It was simply too much for us."
