Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins explains why he celebrated so much vs Brentford as fan singled out
Ollie Watkins, a striker for Aston Villa, explained his pointed celebration against former team Brentford as the result of “personal abuse” from a fan.
The 27-year-old England international scored the game-winning goal for Unai Emery’s team on Sunday. He joined Aston Villa from Brentford in 2020 for a then-club record £33 million.
Watkins also started a major melee when he pointed straight into the West Stand with his hands on his hips after discovering the net.
Four players were shown yellow cards as a result, and the remaining 18 minutes involved a total of 10 bookings, as well as a sending off for Villa’s Boubacar Kamara.
Watkins, meanwhile, was continually booed for his celebrations in the final stages.
Speaking about the incident after the full-time whistle, Watkins said he had been “agitated” by the persistent abuse from one fan in particular.
“The game was a little aggressive at times, which was sparked by my celebration, but it wasn’t caused by a lack of regard for the fans,” Watkins said to Sky Sports.
“I have nothing but praise for the team, the players, and the staff. I adore them all.” However, there was one player who mistreated me the entire game, and the celebration was aimed squarely at him rather than everybody else.
I’m still in contact with Thomas Frank via text, but it’s the reason he questioned me why I had celebrated in that way.
“I feel like I’ve given the club so much, and they’ve given me so much. Football is football, so you can joke about a little, but not when it’s personal.
It’s up to the club if they don’t believe me, but Thomas knows that I wouldn’t act in such a way without cause because I’ve explained everything to him. I became disturbed by it, which is why it happened.
Watkins’ celebration, according to the Athletic, was meant as a jab at the Brentford fan who had offended his family.
Following a brawl that resulted from Watkins’ celebrations in front of his old followers, Thomas Frank declared that he had no issues with Watkins.
Aston Villa is currently one point behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League standings following their most recent victory. Brentford is now ranked 12th.
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