Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor emphasizes the need for greater respect in women’s soccer officiating following a disputed VAR ruling during their Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The Disputed Goal
In the closing moments of the first half, Chelsea’s Veerle Buurman saw her goal disallowed after the referee judged her to have fouled Laia Codina at the back post. The defender went down, prompting VAR to review the incident, which appeared marginal. Officials upheld the on-field call despite scrutiny, leaving Chelsea trailing 2-0—a pivotal moment that might have shifted momentum into the second half.
This marks the second questionable VAR decision against Chelsea in the Champions League this season, fueling frustration from the team’s leader.
Bompastor’s Frustration
Bompastor expressed her disappointment, stating: “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 continued: “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.”
Regarding 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
When Bompastor questioned the fourth official about the decision, she received little clarity. “Nothing, it’s always the same,” she recounted. “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.”
Highlighting recurring issues, she referenced an earlier match against Barcelona where Catarina Macario’s goal was ruled offside: “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.”
Push for VAR Improvements
While supporting VAR’s introduction—currently absent from the Women’s Super League—Bompastor stressed the importance of competent officials. “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.”
Bompastor advocated for top-tier referees, regardless of origin: “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 final scoreline, she acknowledged: “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.”
