-
Tom Hamilton
Multiple Authors
LONDON — Sonia Bompastor, the head coach of Chelsea, expressed her frustration over the quality of officiating during their Women’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Arsenal. She was particularly upset that Katie McCabe avoided a red card for pulling the hair of Alyssa Thompson.
Chelsea secured a 1-0 victory during the match thanks to a late goal from Sjoeke Nüsken, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Arsenal’s 3-1 advantage from the first leg.
– Bayern ends Man United’s UWCL dream, highlighting the gap to European elites
Bompastor remarked that Chelsea’s exit from the Champions League, combined with Manchester City’s strong position in the WSL, means the season has to be seen as a failure. However, her immediate concern was the officiating quality after the game at Stamford Bridge.
The incident occurred late in injury time, and Bompastor strongly believed that McCabe should have been punished. Her own frustration led to her being sent off by referee Frida Klarlund after receiving two quick yellow cards.
“I was emotional because it’s clear to everyone what happened, and the video evidence reflects that,” Bompastor stated. “One of my players had their hair pulled. I can understand a referee missing it in real-time, but why isn’t VAR reviewing it? Why isn’t there a check on that?”
“Experiencing a hair pull during a match is unpleasant, and despite that, I end up getting the red card while I feel the Arsenal player should have received it.”
“Where is the VAR in such instances? If we have it, why is it not being utilized to check these situations? It simply doesn’t make sense to me.”
The incident left Thompson in tears. “It’s distressing when you’re playing football and someone pulls your hair,” Bompastor said. “She was understandably emotional about what happened and the outcome of the match.”
Shortly after the match, McCabe clarified on Instagram, “I was genuinely reaching for the shirt and had no intention of pulling anyone’s hair. I have full respect for Thompson.”
Arsenal coach Renée Slegers also supported McCabe’s perspective on the incident.
“I haven’t spoken with Katie yet, but I have reviewed the footage of the incident. It doesn’t appear intentional. I believe she was attempting to pull the shirt. Katie is fiercely competitive and wants to win, but she always plays fair and wouldn’t deliberately harm anyone.”
Bompastor, however, rejected that explanation, asserting, “The intention was evident. To me, she was clearly trying to grab the hair, which merits a red card.”
Bompastor had previously expressed her anger over officiating mistakes during their first leg defeat to Arsenal, particularly regarding a disallowed goal from Veerle Buurman due to alleged contact with Laia Codina.
After this recent match, Bompastor highlighted other decisions by the referees and VAR that negatively impacted Chelsea in earlier games.
“This is simply not acceptable,” Bompastor stated. “I’m frustrated and upset because my players deserve more respect for their efforts on the field. They deserve far better.”
2:06
Arsenal survives dramatic finale to eliminate Chelsea from UWCL
Arsenal progresses to the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals after a 3-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the quarterfinals.
Bompastor noted that she hopes UEFA will strive for improvements in officiating. “Nadine Kessler, the head of women’s football at UEFA, was present today. We need to do better. If they are satisfied with how things transpired in the first leg and tonight, that’s unacceptable. That shouldn’t be the standard.”
Ultimately, Arsenal moves forward in the tournament and will face the winner of the quarterfinal clash between OL Lyonnes and VfL Wolfsburg.
For Chelsea, they must reflect on a season where they still have the FA Cup to compete for but find themselves out of the WSL title race and have been eliminated from the Champions League.
“Honestly, our season hasn’t met the aspirations of the club,” Bompastor declared. “As a manager, I’ve been transparent from the start, aiming to win all four titles. We have high ambitions, and this reality is not acceptable for a club like Chelsea. I’m not satisfied with what I’ve contributed to the team this season.”
Meanwhile, for Arsenal and Slegers, the focus shifts to preparing for their Champions League semifinal.
“I’m very pleased,” Slegers said. “It was a challenging situation going into this match with a 2-0 lead. The preceding three matches had been tight, with narrow margins. We were ready for another tough encounter.”
“I’m incredibly proud of the players, especially regarding their mentality – how they approached this match. Their mentality was commendable.”