Chelsea Boss Sonia Bompastor Slams VAR After Controversial Hair-Pulling Incident

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has expressed her outrage over the VAR's failure to review a hair-pulling incident involving Arsenal's Katie McCabe and Chelsea's Alyssa Thompson. The incident occurred late in the game, and Bompastor was booked and later sent off for her protests. She questioned the effectiveness of VAR in women's football, citing similar issues from the first leg. Bompastor stated, 'I don't understand why the VAR is not checking that situation? What is the VAR doing in these games? If we have the VAR, why are we not checking these situations?' Thompson was left emotional after the incident, and Bompastor believes the Arsenal player should have been given a red card. McCabe later clarified on social media that the hair pull was unintentional, saying she was reaching for the shirt. Former WSL striker Ellen White shared her shock that VAR didn't review the incident, calling it 'very cynical' and a potential 'straight red card.' Arsenal boss Renee Slegers acknowledged the incident, stating she needs to review it further but assumed it was not intentional. Bompastor also criticized the referee and VAR officials, citing their past mistakes in the Champions League. The incident marked a chaotic end to the all-WSL Women's Champions League quarter-final tie, which Arsenal won 3-2 on aggregate.