Chelsea manager Bompastor criticizes referee and VAR following Arsenal hair pull incident.
LONDON — Sonia Bompastor, the head coach of Chelsea, expressed strong criticism regarding the quality of officiating during their Women’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Arsenal, particularly after she believed Katie McCabe should have received a red card for pulling Alyssa Thompson’s hair.
Chelsea secured a 1-0 victory on the night with a late goal from Sjoeke Nüsken, but this was insufficient to overcome Arsenal’s 3-1 advantage from the first leg.
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Bompastor stated that Chelsea’s elimination from the Champions League, coupled with Manchester City’s significant lead in the WSL, indicates that this season must be viewed as a failure. However, her immediate concern following the second leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday was the quality of the officiating.
The incident occurred late in injury time, and Bompastor asserted that it clearly warranted a red card for McCabe. Her frustration led to her being dismissed by referee Frida Klarlund after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession.
“I was emotional because I think it’s evident for everyone, and I believe everyone could see the video,” Bompastor remarked. “One of my players had their hair pulled, and while I can understand how a referee might miss that, why isn’t the VAR reviewing that situation? Why aren’t they going back to that?
“When you’re playing football and someone pulls your hair, I don’t know if you’ve experienced that, but it’s quite unpleasant. In the end, I’m the one who receives a red card when I believe the Arsenal player should be the one sent off.
“And what is the VAR doing in these matches? If we have VAR, why aren’t we examining these situations? I don’t comprehend.”
The incident left Thompson in tears. “When you’re playing football and someone pulls your hair, it’s distressing,” Bompastor stated. “Naturally, she was crying and emotional about the situation and the outcome.”
McCabe later issued a statement on her Instagram: “I just want to clarify that I was genuinely reaching for the shirt; I would never want to pull someone’s hair. Full respect to Thompson.”
Arsenal coach Renée Slegers also supported McCabe’s account of the incident.
“I haven’t spoken to Katie; I’ve reviewed the incident. I don’t believe it was intentional. I think she was trying to grab the shirt. Katie is very competitive. She wants to win, which is evident in her playing style, but for me, she always plays fairly. She would never act with intent.”
However, Bompastor rejected that perspective, stating: “I believe the intention is clear. To me, she attempted to grab the hair. For that reason, it is clearly a red card.”
Bompastor was also infuriated with the officiating during their previous defeat to Arsenal last week when Veerle Buurman had a goal disallowed in the first half at the Emirates for an alleged push on Laia Codina.
Following Tuesday’s match, Bompastor referenced decisions made by the referee and VAR Katrin Rafalski that had negatively impacted Chelsea in earlier matches.
“I don’t think that’s acceptable,” Bompastor stated. “And while I may be frustrated and upset, my players deserve more respect for the performance they delivered on the pitch. They certainly deserve much more respect.
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“And I know that [UEFA head of women’s football] Nadine Kessler was present today to observe the game. We need to improve. If they are satisfied with what transpired in [the] first leg and tonight, I believe that’s inadequate. They shouldn’t be content with that. It’s clear for everyone.”
Ultimately, Arsenal progresses and will face the winner of OL Lyon’s quarterfinal against VfL Wolfsburg.
For Chelsea, they will need to evaluate a season where they still have the FA Cup to contend for, but they are out of the WSL title race and have been eliminated from the Champions League.
“To be honest, our season is not meeting the club’s ambitions,” Bompastor said. “I am a manager who has always provided clarity from the start of the season, stating we aim to win all four titles. We have high aspirations. So when I provide that clarity, I also give you the opportunity to question it.
“The reality is that for a club like Chelsea, this is certainly not sufficient. And I am not pleased with the fact that I couldn’t assist the team more than I did this season.”
However, for Arsenal and Slegers, they now have a Champions League semifinal to prepare for.
“Very pleased,” Slegers said. “It was a challenging scenario entering this match with a 2-0 lead. The three matches prior to this one had been very close with narrow margins. We were preparing for this again.
“I am so proud of the players, especially regarding their mentality — how they managed this game. Really proud of their mentality once more.”
