Champions League: UEFA backs officials after criticism of Chelsea’s Sonia Bompastor following Arsenal exit.

UEFA has no intention of changing the way officials are chosen for Women’s Champions League matches despite criticism from Sonia Bompastor.

The Chelsea head coach was furious after VAR ruled out Katie McCabe’s hair on Alyssa Thompson during Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg, suggesting the women’s game deserved better than the current managerial position.

Bompastor was also furious after the first leg, when VAR did not recommend that referee Alina Pesu go to the referee after she gave a foul against Veerle Buurman to deny the goal.

Sky Sports News understands that UEFA has full faith in the officials appointed to this year’s Champions League due to their experience in European and international competitions.

They are also confident about their plans for the training and development of female referees, something they have invested heavily in over the past few years.

UEFA are still awaiting reports from last night’s match but it is unlikely that Bompastor will face disciplinary action for highlighting his long-standing grievances with referee Frida Klarlund.

There is no comment from European football’s governing body on whether McCabe should have been sent off after pulling Thompson’s hair last night.

But it is understood that the decision to disallow Buurman’s goal in the first leg was considered the correct call given the on-field decision from the referee and the lack of evidence to suggest otherwise.

What Bompastor had to say after Chelsea’s Champions League exit

Bompastor also took the VAR goal after the system failed to assess McCabe’s hair pulling on Thompson for a red card – the Chelsea manager was booked and sent off.

Bompastor received his first yellow card for his angry protest after McCabe was disallowed late in the game, shouting at the referee as the card was announced. VAR should have looked at the incident and, apart from the review, apparently saw no problem with the on-field decision.

Less than a minute later, Bompastor entered the field as he tried to win the ball back to his side, and was shown a red card after being booked for the second time.

Although he did not say much about whether he deserved to be sent off, he confirmed that VAR should have reviewed the hair-pulling incident, also questioning the use of technology in the women’s game after similar comments were made after the first leg.

“At the time, I was devastated because I thought it was obvious to everyone,” said Bompastor.

“Maybe I can understand that referees sometimes don’t see that, but I don’t understand – and it’s not the first time now – why VAR doesn’t check the situation?

“Why don’t they go back to that, to review and have a clear call on that? Because the impact of my character was emotional.

“In the end, I’m the one who gets the red card, where I think the Arsenal player should be the one who gets the red card.

“What does VAR do in these games? If we have VAR, why don’t we check these situations? I don’t understand, and it’s not enough.”

He added to BBC Sport that Thompson was upset by the incident, saying: “He was crying.

“He’s trying his best on both pitches and it’s not enough. When you’re playing football and someone’s pulling your hair, it’s bad. He had the attitude and the situation and the result.”

However, McCabe said on social media that his hair pulling was not intentional, writing: “I just want to make it clear that I was reaching for the shirt for real, I would never want to pull someone’s hair. Full respect to Thompson.”

Arsenal boss Renee Slegers added: “I saw the footage in the background. I didn’t see the incident on the pitch as it happened but I saw Katie go to Alyssa to apologize. My opinion is that it’s not intentional but it’s really unfortunate. I have to watch it before I make too many comments.”

Bompastor also went on to point out how referee Frida Klarlund and VAR official Katrin Rafalski have made mistakes in the Champions League.

“The manager who controlled the game was the one who two years ago for Chelsea didn’t let the ball go offside, but it was onside,” he said.

“I think he was the one who gave Real Madrid the penalty, and it was bad outside the box.

“And the one who was doing VAR was the one who disallowed our goal against Barcelona [Catarina] Macario scored a goal and that goal was offside.

“Now I’m wondering, why are these referees coming to this game with what happened in the first leg, to referee these games? I don’t think it’s right.

“I’m frustrated and upset, but not only for myself, but my players deserve more respect for the performance they put on the field.”

It was a messy end to the WSL Women’s Champions League quarter-final, which Arsenal won 3-2 on aggregate despite Chelsea winning 1-0 tonight.

The Gunners will face either Lyon or Wolfsburg in the semi-finals starting at the end of April. The two European heavyweights meet in their second leg on Thursday evening.

Analysis: Bompastor’s frustration is understandable after the mistakes from the authorities

Sky Sports News’ James Green:

“Sonia Bompastor is incredibly frustrated right now. The fact VAR did not intervene in the most obvious hair-pulling – intentional or not – beggars belief. Surprisingly, it was not given as something bad. It happened right in front of Bompastor. I understand the frustration – but it didn’t just come from last night.

“It’s from last week and the first leg. After last week’s game he had a problem with VAR and said the women’s game needs more respect after Veerle Buurman’s goal was ruled out for a foul.

“He spoke of the referee as the one who made the mistakes in the previous games against Chelsea in the Champions League – the penalty for Real Madrid in 2023 which was outside the box and the goal against Barcelona which was marked as offside but it was onside in November 2025.

“So he had history with the referee in the first leg and officiating the match in the second leg. You can understand the confusion.”