Chelsea’s Bompastor Calls for Improved Refereeing Standards in Women’s Game
Chelsea Women’s manager Sonia Bompastor has voiced her frustration with the standard of officiating in the Women’s Champions League and Women’s Super League, calling for greater competence and consistency from referees, and suggesting the women’s game could benefit from utilizing officials from the men’s game.
Frustration Over Disallowed Goal and Lack of Feedback
Bompastor expressed her discontent following a recent match where a late goal scored by Kadeisha Buchanan was disallowed due to a foul call, despite replays suggesting the decision was incorrect. She highlighted a pattern of questionable officiating decisions impacting her team, referencing a previous incident in the Champions League involving a goal from Catarina Macario that was incorrectly ruled offside.
“They made the wrong decision. Nothing changes,” Bompastor stated, adding that she receives minimal feedback from officials when questioning their calls. “You go to them and ask them to check they made the right decision, they always say ‘yeah, we are checking.’”
VAR Concerns and Calls for Top Referees
While acknowledging the potential benefits of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, Bompastor emphasized the importance of having qualified personnel operating the system. “When a human makes a mistake, you can understand a little more but when there is the VAR, it’s really difficult,” she explained. “I just think they need to be better.”
Bompastor believes the solution lies in assigning the “best” referees to the most important matches, even if it means drawing from the pool of officials working in men’s football. “If that has to be coming from the men’s game, then maybe,” she said. “If it is coming from the women’s game, then [use] the best ones.”
Buchanan’s Return and Team Fitness
Despite the frustrations with officiating, Bompastor provided positive news regarding the fitness of her squad. Kadeisha Buchanan is nearing a full return from an ACL injury sustained in November 2024, having recently played minutes with the Under-18 side. She was expected to be available for the squad this weekend. Chelsea FC
However, captain Millie Bright will miss Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup fifth round fixture against Manchester United with an ankle injury sustained in the match against Tottenham. Chelsea FC
Bompastor also confirmed that, aside from Bright, the rest of the team came through their recent 2-0 Women’s Super League win over Liverpool unscathed. Chelsea FC
Buchanan Hailed as a ‘Great Leader’
Sonia Bompastor has lauded Kadeisha Buchanan’s return to the team, describing the Canadian defender as a “great leader.” Buchanan recently returned to action after a 469-day absence due to injury, contributing to Chelsea’s extra-time victory over Manchester United in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup. The Halfway Line
Bompastor emphasized Buchanan’s importance to the team, stating, “Especially due to the fact that again she is a great leader and she is a really important player for us.” The Halfway Line
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