Before Sweden’s semifinal against England, Kosovare Asllani criticized the deployment of VAR in the European Championship. In four games, Sweden has had five goals ruled out by technology.
“Using 50 percent fewer cameras in our competition compared to the men’s game is a disaster,” stated Asllani. “Decisions cannot be made with the same degree of accuracy. Not only for us but also for other teams. There are times when I believe it would be advantageous to have more cameras, as they can be decisive.”
Peter Gerhardsson joined Asllani in her critique, recalling Rebecka Blomqvist’s goal against Switzerland and Stina Blackstenius’ goal in their quarterfinal victory over Belgium. Blackstenius was ruled offside, but referee Jonas Eriksson of Sweden pointed out that the line had been wrongly drawn.
Eriksson told the Swedish tabloid Expressen, “That line is entirely incorrect.” “The line should be drawn at the penultimate player’s most defensive point, but if the ball is in front of that player, the offensive point of the ball counts.” In this instance, however, the video referee has drawn the line from the ball’s most defensive point, or the forehead of the last player. In any case, both are incorrect.”
Gerhardssson stated, “I find it odd. I appreciate VAR, and I believe it’s fair when they have it, but if they make a mistake in a Euro game because they drew the line on the wrong side and now we’ve heard they don’t have the same cameras, I don’t think that’s acceptable.
“We haven’t seen it, but a Swedish referee watching at home in a studio informed us that they drew the line incorrectly… Then you are unqualified for your position. Regarding the cameras, there should be no distinction between men’s and women’s football.”
Uefa stated, “The TV production for the Uefa Women’s Euro 2022 is comparable to that of the Uefa Champions League.” Due to the availability of additional offside and EPTS [electronic performance and tracking systems] cameras, VAR camera support for the Uefa Women’s Euro 2022 is significantly higher than in the men’s UEFA Champions League and men’s Euro Euro.
Gerhardssson criticized the regulation that permits five substitutions but prohibits all five from warming up simultaneously.
“We now have five substitutes, but only three can be warmed up,” he remarked. “I’m not sure whether the room is the issue; why can’t you have five people warming up? I also find it odd when a player is not warmed up before entering the game. Why can’t five individuals warm up collectively? They are pals, I can assure you of that.”
Sweden’s players are accustomed to attempting to upset a host nation. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, they defeated Brazil on penalties to get to the final, where they were defeated by Germany.
Do they intend to ruin England’s celebration? “My fave question,” Gerhardsson added. “I don’t consider that at all since I constantly consider options; that is my perspective on everything. If there is a chance, then you have a gut feeling that you can succeed.”
Asllani stated, “This means a great deal to the entire team. We have previously played a semifinal against the host nation, Brazil, in an arena three times larger than this one at the Olympics. It is a unique experience to enter a stadium with the home nation’s fans. We will do everything possible. I don’t believe you could be more enthusiastic and prepared. I believe we’ll have a strong opportunity tomorrow if we stick to our game plan.
The Chelsea captain, Magda Eriksson, stated, “I’ve been quite impressed with England thus far. This will be the most difficult test to date. It is the best team we will face, but we are prepared. This is the game we’ve been waiting for — we’ll do everything we can to advance to the next round.”
