Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea: Women’s game needs more respect with officiating – Sonia Bompastor
Bompastor was visibly upset on the touchline as he approached the fourth official to question the decision.
Although replays showed it was the right decision, Chelsea’s players looked stunned when Kadeisha Buchanan’s late effort was disallowed for a foul on goalkeeper Anneke Borbe and their frustrations escalated, including Bompastor kicking a bottle.
Asked what feedback he had received from officials about his decisions, Bompastor said: “Nothing. It’s always the same. You go to them and ask them to check if they made the right decision, and they always say ‘yes, we’re checking’.”
“But they made the wrong decision. Nothing changes. You can understand a little more when a person makes a mistake, but when there is VAR, it is really difficult.
“I don’t think this is the first time this season for us in the Champions League. When we played against Barcelona, Catarina Macario’s goal was not offside. This changes a lot. I just think they need to be better.”
Bompastor said she believes VAR is good for the women’s game, but stressed that the officials using it must be “the right people to control the situations”.
When asked how women’s football could be more respected, Bompastor said the solution would be to bring the “best” referees to the biggest matches.
“If it has to come from the men’s game, then maybe,” he said. “If it’s coming from the women’s game, then [use] “The best,” he added.
“We need to make these decisions. It’s really frustrating. We need to bring competence, which is the most important thing.”
Pesu, 36, officiated this year’s Women’s Champions League and officiated two matches at last summer’s European Championship, including the opening match between hosts Switzerland and Norway.
