England captain Millie Bright said that not having a video assistant referee (VAR) review available for their UEFA Women’s Nations League game against the Netherlands in Utrecht on Tuesday was “mind-blowing” after TV replays suggested the hosts’ first goal in their 2-1 victory was offside.
Substitute Renate Jansen scored a 90th-minute winner for the Dutch after Alessia Russo canceled out Lieke Martens’ first-half opener. Danielle van de Donk appeared to be in an offside position in the buildup to Martens’ goal.
Bright said that it was “frustrating” that VAR was not being used in the match.
Photo: AP
“I think we push the level of the game to be so high and professional, yet we sometimes have VAR, sometimes [we] don’t,” she said after England suffered their third defeat in 41 games since Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman took charge in 2021.
“This is international football and we do not have VAR in a competitive international game, which is mind-blowing,” she said.
The VAR system is not mandatory during the group stage, with the hosts of each match deciding whether to use it or not, but would be implemented for the Women’s Nations League Finals.
Wiegman said that it was “obvious” that the Dutch opener was offside and echoed Bright’s calls for consistency in the use of VAR.
“I think the whole stadium thought it was offside so I’m really disappointed about that,” said Wiegman, who returned to the Netherlands with England for the first time since her appointment.
“When you talk about VAR, of course it would have taken away that goal. I think we need consistency in VAR. Either you have VAR or you don’t have VAR,” she said.
The result left England third in their four-team Nations League group with three points from two games, a point behind leaders Belgium, who drew 1-1 with Scotland.
In Cordova, Spain’s Women’s World Cup winners were given a rapturous reception, as they played for the first time at home after their triumph, thrashing Switzerland 5-0 in front of a record crowd.
Captains Alexia Putellas and Irene Paredes presented the trophy to jubilant supporters in Cordoba and the squad sported wristbands reading “It’s Over” — a nod to the charge the players are leading in the protracted battle for equality.
La Roja’s triumph in Australia and New Zealand in August was regrettably tarnished by the behavior of former Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales, who forcibly kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony.
The disgraced chief resigned, while controversial coach Jorge Vilda was sacked, but dozens of internationals stayed on strike, demanding further federation improvements.
Eventually the majority of new coach Montse Tome’s squad agreed to participate in the Nations League matches, despite being called up against their will, as the Spanish government intervened to broker a deal between the federation and the players.
Hermoso was not included in the squad, which Tome said was to “protect” her.
Spain beat Sweden 3-2 in Gothenburg on Friday last week and then crushed Switzerland to take a stranglehold on the top spot in League A Group 4.
The two eventual Nations League finalists qualify for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Additional reporting by AFP
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