Bompastor demands more respect for women’s game after disallowed Chelsea goal

LONDON – Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor launched a scathing critique of the officiating standards in the Women’s Champions League after her side’s 3-1 quarter-final first-leg defeat to Arsenal, claiming the women’s game is being denied the respect it deserves.

The Blues saw two goals ruled out at the Emirates, the first of which – a Veerle Buurman header – was disallowed for an alleged push on Arsenal defender Laia Codina moments before half-time. Romanian referee Alina Pesu’s on-field decision stood after a VAR review failed to identify a “clear and obvious” error, leaving the visitors trailing 2-0 instead of reducing the deficit to one.

“It’s really frustrating,” Bompastor said post-match. “When you are playing a quarter-final of the Champions League, you need to respect the women’s game. You need to respect the players. For sure, the first goal is a goal. I don’t see, with the VAR, how you can disallow that goal.”

Television replays appeared to show minimal contact, and pundits were quick to side with Chelsea. Former England captain Steph Houghton, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, labelled the call “outrageous”, adding: “Once the goalkeeper misses the ball, Buurman just gets higher than Codina. It’s so clear it should be a goal.”

Bompastor, visibly agitated on the touchline, kicked a water bottle in frustration and later approached the fourth official for an explanation she says never came. “Nothing. It’s always the same,” she said. “They always say ‘yeah, we are checking.’ But they made the wrong decision.”

The French coach, who insisted VAR itself is beneficial, argued that the technology is only as reliable as the officials operating it. “We need to bring the best referees to the biggest games,” she said. “If that has to be coming from the men’s game, then maybe. If it is coming from the women’s game, then the best ones. Competence is the most important thing.”

Chelsea’s grievances were compounded when Kadeisha Buchanan’s late strike was chalked off for a foul on goalkeeper Anneke Borbe, though replays indicated that decision was correct. Even so, the damage was done; Arsenal take a two-goal cushion into the 1 April second leg at Kingsmeadow.

Bompastor reminded observers that her squad overturned the same deficit against Manchester City en route to last season’s semi-finals, but warned that recurring officiating errors threaten the competition’s integrity. She cited an earlier group-stage incident against Barcelona when a Catarina Macario goal was incorrectly flagged offside.

“We need to really find solutions,” she said. “It’s nothing we can control, but it changes a lot.”

Pesu, 36, has overseen multiple Champions League fixtures this term and refereed at last summer’s European Championship, yet her performance drew widespread criticism. London City Lionesses forward Nikita Parris branded the Buurman decision “poor”, while former striker Ellen White urged officials to “take a breath” before intervening.

Chelsea now face a steep uphill task to keep their European ambitions alive, yet Bompastor’s broader message resonated beyond the scoreline: until the women’s game receives refereeing standards befitting its elite stage, its credibility remains in the balance.