Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor demands greater respect for officiating in women’s soccer following a controversial VAR ruling in the Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg, which Chelsea lost 3-1.
Key Moment Disallowed at Halftime
In the closing moments of the first half, with Chelsea trailing 2-0, Veerle Buurman’s goal at the back post was ruled out. The referee deemed it a foul on defender Laia Codina after she went down. VAR reviewed the incident—described by observers as a soft challenge—but upheld the on-field call, denying Chelsea a potential momentum shift into the second half.
This marks the second ambiguous VAR decision against Chelsea in the Champions League this season, prompting strong criticism from Bompastor.
Bompastor’s Post-Match Reaction
Bompastor expressed frustration: “It’s really frustrating. It’s always more difficult to complain about the referees when you lose the game, but to be honest, it’s not good enough.”
She emphasized the need for improvement: “We need to really find solutions because when you are playing the quarter-final of the Champions League, you need to respect the women’s game more, you need to respect the players more because they work hard every week to put a good performance on the pitch.”
Addressing the disallowed goal, she added: “The first goal is a goal. I don’t see with VAR how you cannot allow that goal. It’s a shame to be honest, so it is what it is. There’s nothing we can control about that and we need to now focus on the next game.”
Interactions with Officials and Past Incidents
When Bompastor questioned the fourth official, she received no clear explanation: “Nothing, it’s always the same. When you go to them and you ask them to check the situation and to make sure they made the right decision, they just always say ‘we are checking’, but they made the wrong decision and nothing changed.”
She highlighted a prior controversy: “When a human makes a mistake, you can understand a little bit more but when there is the VAR, it’s really difficult and it’s not been the first time this season in Champions League. When we played Barcelona, we scored the goal with [Catarina] Macario and I think that goal was not offside. It changed a lot because if we had won that game in that moment, the story was different so I think they need to be better.”
Support for VAR with Calls for Enhancement
While supporting VAR—currently unavailable in the Women’s Super League—Bompastor stressed the need for better execution: “I think it’s good and we need to have VAR in the women’s game, it’s for now maybe having the right people to check the situations and being able to make the right decision.”
She noted the physical nature of the sport: “Football is physical and there are duels in the games and I can’t understand why the first one was not allowed when you check it. We deserve the best referees so if it has to be coming from the men’s game, maybe. If it has to come from the women’s game, then the best ones. We need to make that decision and we need to bring competence which is the most difficult.”
On whether the goal could have altered the 3-1 scoreline, Bompastor said: “It’s difficult to say but it’s for sure important because it was an important moment just before half-time… but it’s really frustrating when you think you deserve that goal.”
