Controversy Strikes as Chelsea Manager Slams Lack of Goal-Line Technology in Women's Game after Shocking Goal Denial
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes criticizes the absence of goal-line technology and VAR in women's football after Guro Reiten's denied goal against Tottenham She questions the lack of investment and finds it embarrassing
Emma Hayes expresses her disbelief and frustration regarding the absence of goal-line technology and VAR in women's football. She refers to the recent incident where Chelsea's Guro Reiten scored a goal against Tottenham, only for it to be incorrectly disallowed by the on-pitch officials. Despite the ball clearly crossing the line, Reiten's celebration was abruptly halted when the decision was made that it had not entered the goal.
Fortunately for Chelsea, seconds after the incident, Lauren James managed to score as Niamh Charles, who received a pass from the celebrating Reiten, provided a cross for her to easily score at home.
"Why aren't we investing in technology?" Hayes questioned We after the match. "This question needs to be posed to the decision-making board. It's truly embarrassing."
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Guro Reiten's shot seemed to have crossed the line during the match against Tottenham.
"Everyone present in the stadium was certain that it had gone in. While human errors are understandable, that is precisely where VAR should come into play. Although, I may need to reconsider my statement after witnessing Tottenham vs Liverpool yesterday!"
"If this is the highest level of women's football in the Premier League, we have already shown our ability to implement a simplified version of VAR. We successfully utilized it at Kingsmeadow during a pre-season game.
"While emphasizing the importance of investing in youth football, it is absolutely absurd that we do not have goal-line technology. This technology was present at the World Cup as well as the FA Cup final, but strangely absent during the semi-finals."
Hayes mentioned during her press conference that she commented to the fourth official, "You must be thankful that [James goal] went in," as the entire stadium witnessed it crossing the line.
She acknowledged that human error exists and that VAR is not infallible. However, she found it absurd that a stadium already equipped with goal-line technology lacked it. Interestingly, she mentioned that the following week they would be visiting a stadium without such technology.
What the pundits said…
Karen Carney to We: "We need to establish consistency in this area. I fail to comprehend why we haven't implemented VAR-lite throughout the entire league. We successfully introduced it at Kingsmeadow during the pre-season, leaving no room for any excuses."Izzy Christensen said to us, "The game is progressing. These decisions are crucial in determining the outcome of the game. If Chelsea hadn't scored right after that, the result would have been completely different. When we reflect on preventable incidents like this at the end of the season, it becomes a major concern."
Rachel Yankey expressed to us, "The most important thing we can do is continue to demonstrate and advocate for it. With perseverance, we hope to see change. Football has reached a level where we cannot ignore this issue. Goal-line technology must be implemented."
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