West Ham boss Rehanne Skinner slammed the officials after her side were wrongly denied a goal in their 2-0 Women's Super League loss to Chelsea.
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West Ham lose 2-0 to Chelsea in WSLHammers have goal wrongly ruled outSkinner fumes at level of officiatingGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Goals in either half from Aggie Beever-Jones and Erin Cuthbert secured the Blues all three points on Sunday but the Hammers' Honoka Hayashi incorrectly had a goal ruled out and team-mate Riko Ueki was wrongly called back for offside after rounding goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. A livid Skinner said the women's game has "got so much growing up to do" and suggested VAR should be introduced to cut out officiating errors.
AdvertisementWHAT REHANNE SKINNER SAID
She told Sky Sports: "It's not good enough, the bottom line is, if that's how I operated in my job, I wouldn't be in my job. That's the bottom line. People can say it's because we've lost 2-0 and things like that but it's because it's a frequent occurrence and it's three games now. Apologies post the game doesn't change the outcome. We have to work so hard and I'm so proud of the players' performance today (Sunday), I thought we were superb, we created good moments and good chances and I just think it's really disappointing that you come out of that with no points to be honest."
Skinner added: "A lot of people are talking about VAR and things like that and if that's what we need to do to get results right then that's what we need to do. Ultimately the referees still aren't professional in this game so they're not actually in a situation where they are solely focussing on these games and I think that has just got to change. The game has still got so much growing up to do, we're still not right across the board with the game."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Earlier this season, Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said it is "ludicrous" and "embarrassing" that VAR and goal-line technology were not in women's domestic football. With the women's game rising in popularity and becoming more lucrative, these may need to be fast-tracked into the sport sooner rather than later.
WHAT NEXT?
Skinner's West Ham – who are 11th in the WSL – are next in action on March 31 for a big clash at home to fellow relegation-threatened Brighton, whereas league leaders Chelsea face Ajax in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, March 27.
