Sweden’s Asllani labels Euro VAR as catastrophic before England semi-final

Sweden’s Kosovare Asllani criticised the implementation of VAR at the European Championship before her side’s semi-final against England. Sweden have had five goals ruled out by the technology in four games.

“Using 50% fewer cameras in our tournament than the men’s game, that is a catastrophe really,” Asllani said. “The decisions can’t be made with the same precision. It’s not just for us, for other teams too. There are situations where I think you should have more cameras, that can be really decisive.”

The Sweden manager, Peter Gerhardsson, joined Asllani in her criticism, with memories of Rebecka Blomqvist’s effort against Switzerland and Stina Blackstenius’s goal in their quarter-final defeat of Belgium both stirring up frustration. Blackstenius was deemed to be offside but the Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson pointed out that the line was drawn incorrectly.

“That line is completely wrong,” Eriksson told the Swedish newspaper Expressen. “You should draw the line at the penultimate player’s most defensive point but, if the ball is in front of that player, then it is the ball’s most offensive point that counts. But in this case the video referee has drawn the line from the ball’s most defensive point, alternatively from the penultimate player’s forehead. But in any case both are wrong.”

Gerhardssson said: “I think it’s strange. I like VAR, I think it’s fair when they have it but, if we have one game where they make a mistake because they draw the line on the wrong side and now we’ve heard they don’t have the same cameras, for me it’s not acceptable in a Euro.

“We haven’t seen it ourselves but a Swedish referee at home in a studio pointed out that they drew the line incorrectly … then you’re incompetent at your job.