LONDON — I've seen some bad officiating in my time. I've seen missed calls. I've seen questionable decisions. But what happened in stoppage time of the Arsenal-Chelsea Women's Champions League quarterfinal might take the cake.
Katie McCabe grabbed Alyssa Thompson by the hair. Not a little tug. Not incidental contact. She grabbed her by the hair and pulled her down. And somehow, somehow, no foul was called.
Let me be clear: that's a red card. That's violent conduct. That's as obvious as it gets. And the referee didn't even blow the whistle.
Sonia Bompastor, the Chelsea manager, lost her mind on the sideline. And you know what? She was right. She got shown a red card for protesting an obvious foul that should have resulted in a red card for the opponent. Think about that for a second.
But here's the best part: in her post-match interview, Bompastor pulled out her phone and showed the replay to the media. Just held it up like, "You see this? You all see this?" That's legendary stuff right there.
"I don't understand how that's not a foul," Bompastor said, and honestly, neither do I. Neither does anyone with functioning eyeballs.
The women's game has grown so much. The talent is incredible. The passion is there. The stadiums are filling up. But officiating like this holds the sport back. These players deserve better. These fans deserve better.
Katie McCabe should have been sent off. Sonia Bompastor shouldn't have been. And somewhere in UEFA headquarters, someone needs to answer for this.
That's what sports is all about, folks.
