Chelsea v Liverpool Women - Abandoned
- Thread starter CA1992
- Start date
Rumours that officials tried to call it off but were overruled, but they remain unsubstantiated.
Could’ve been the FA, as it was a televised game. Could’ve been the broadcast partners. Could even have been Chelsea themselves - the “we’ve done all this work to get it on. At least give it a go” argument.
The stony silence isn’t helping anyone.
Could’ve been the FA, as it was a televised game. Could’ve been the broadcast partners. Could even have been Chelsea themselves - the “we’ve done all this work to get it on. At least give it a go” argument.
The stony silence isn’t helping anyone.
PinnerPaul
RefChat Addict
Doesn't sound right does it?
Not sure how a pitch can be playable at KO, but unsafe 6 minutes later.
Is that being harsh?
Not sure how a pitch can be playable at KO, but unsafe 6 minutes later.
Is that being harsh?
He's being used as a scapegoat by the FA if it's true. Very poor example set from them!
Mooseybaby
Retired big bad baldy in all black!
The statement is poor at best, as others have said, find it hard to believe it was the referee's decision alone to play the match.
Even at grassroots, there was a few occasions I felt under pressure to play a game even when I wasn't 100% certain in my own mind. Can't even begin to imagine the pressure a referee at the highest levels would be under. Unfortunately in this situation, the first question people will be asking is why did the referee allow the game to go ahead in the first place.
Even at grassroots, there was a few occasions I felt under pressure to play a game even when I wasn't 100% certain in my own mind. Can't even begin to imagine the pressure a referee at the highest levels would be under. Unfortunately in this situation, the first question people will be asking is why did the referee allow the game to go ahead in the first place.
WSL frozen pitch abandonment 'embarrassing'
Managers, players and pundits criticise the decision to kick off the game between Chelsea and Liverpool, which was quickly abandoned due to a frozen pitch.
www.bbc.co.uk
“The Football Association and WSL said the referee had initially deemed the pitch unplayable following the first inspection, but changed that decision after a second inspection before the players' warm-up, after a pitch cover and heaters had been used.”
Recall something similar at Plymouth in recent years, regularly does the rounds on Socials
Ah yes, this one
This is the Luton one I was thinking about. Those games simply do not get played if they are not on live TV.
It was only one touchline, presumably where the pitch was shielded from the sun by the stand. They probably didn't warm up there.
Dirty Harry
New Member
I doubt if we'll ever get an honest answer, but this is almost certainly a case of 'pressure to play' after the cost of TV cameras, travel, accommodation etc. have been taken into account. Whether it's just a case of the referee trying his best to please everyone, or feeling that his chance to appear on TV (for the first time? Anyone know?) would be his last? Or something more sinister, i.e. FA officials intervening (which I doubt) it doesn't reflect well on the organisation as a whole and needs a thorough investigation to try and prevent a repeat in the future.
Neil has done several televised games.
There would have likely been no FA officials at the game, but the broadcasters would undoubtedly have been in his ear. Not right, but it happens. I was fourth official on an FA Cup game where an ex-England international couldn't get his wedding ring off, and the TV floor manager was practically begging me to let him play with it taped up, saying he would be sacked if the game kicked off late. I've also been told by top level referees that they put you under immense pressure if they think you are going to call the game off.
I agree TV pressure, approved by the FA, the touchline in the pictures is exactly where AR was running, she presumably checked her touchline and I am surprised she could turn & sprint considering the players looked like Bambi on ice on this touchline.
Seems there’s been something of an explanation here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64380218
I’m pasting the text as I read it as articles get changed/updated/redacted/obfuscated but this is correct as at time of posting!
———
The head of referees in the Women's Super League admits they must "take a lot of learning" after the game between Chelsea and Liverpool was abandoned.
Sunday's game was called off after six minutes because of a frozen pitch.
The pitch had passed an inspection to kick off as scheduled at 12:30 GMT.
Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb, women's director of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), said: "We do understand fans and TV, but player safety is our one and only target."
Referee Neil Hair called off the game - staged at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames, London, and shown live on BBC Two - because of an unsafe pitch, with officials criticised for allowing it to start in the first place.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said the women's game must be taken more "seriously", and Liverpool boss Matt Beard said: "It shouldn't have been played in the first place."
Former England and Brighton manager Hope Powell, working as a BBC pundit for the game, described the situation as "embarrassing".
Steinhaus-Webb, who heads up officiating in the women's professional game in England, told BBC Sport on Monday: "We take a lot of learning from the weekend.
"The only person who can abandon that match is the referee, and he gave the game the best chance to be on.
"He put everything in context and consideration, for fans, TV viewers and teams. However we need to take player safety as main priority."
Steinhaus-Webb pointed to an early incident involving Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert as a factor in the abandonment.
"Players were sliding around in the first minute," she said. "Cuthbert stretched for the ball in the first minute and landed on her backside, if she landed on her head that could have caused serious damage. We can't allow that to happen."
Steinhaus-Webb defended the measures taken by the Football Association to try to get games on, saying it spent about £40,000 in heating and pitch covers.
She said it had monitored weather forecasts from Monday to see how conditions would affect the weekend's games, and that referee Hair and his team had contacted Chelsea on Saturday with concerns about the pitch given the cold, before being able to first inspect the pitch at 09:30 GMT on Sunday - three hours before kick-off.
Steinhaus-Webb said: "At 9.30, the first time the referee looked at it, he was not convinced the surface was playable. However, he was in close contact with the ground staff, and with the heating on full power, you can actually immediately see the change in the surface.
"A second pitch inspection was then decided before warm-up; this time it was absolutely playable, it was fine during the warm-up. When the teams came for the line-up, there was a slight change in the surface because the heating made it humid on the top.
"The grounds team, who know their surface best, said it would hold up, but with this thin layer of humidity, it deteriorated again. It made a thin layer of hard surface on top very quickly, so after six minutes the referee made the tough decision to abandon the match for the safety of players, which is paramount."
I’m pasting the text as I read it as articles get changed/updated/redacted/obfuscated but this is correct as at time of posting!
———
The head of referees in the Women's Super League admits they must "take a lot of learning" after the game between Chelsea and Liverpool was abandoned.
Sunday's game was called off after six minutes because of a frozen pitch.
The pitch had passed an inspection to kick off as scheduled at 12:30 GMT.
Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb, women's director of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), said: "We do understand fans and TV, but player safety is our one and only target."
Referee Neil Hair called off the game - staged at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames, London, and shown live on BBC Two - because of an unsafe pitch, with officials criticised for allowing it to start in the first place.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said the women's game must be taken more "seriously", and Liverpool boss Matt Beard said: "It shouldn't have been played in the first place."
Former England and Brighton manager Hope Powell, working as a BBC pundit for the game, described the situation as "embarrassing".
Steinhaus-Webb, who heads up officiating in the women's professional game in England, told BBC Sport on Monday: "We take a lot of learning from the weekend.
"The only person who can abandon that match is the referee, and he gave the game the best chance to be on.
"He put everything in context and consideration, for fans, TV viewers and teams. However we need to take player safety as main priority."
Steinhaus-Webb pointed to an early incident involving Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert as a factor in the abandonment.
"Players were sliding around in the first minute," she said. "Cuthbert stretched for the ball in the first minute and landed on her backside, if she landed on her head that could have caused serious damage. We can't allow that to happen."
Steinhaus-Webb defended the measures taken by the Football Association to try to get games on, saying it spent about £40,000 in heating and pitch covers.
She said it had monitored weather forecasts from Monday to see how conditions would affect the weekend's games, and that referee Hair and his team had contacted Chelsea on Saturday with concerns about the pitch given the cold, before being able to first inspect the pitch at 09:30 GMT on Sunday - three hours before kick-off.
Steinhaus-Webb said: "At 9.30, the first time the referee looked at it, he was not convinced the surface was playable. However, he was in close contact with the ground staff, and with the heating on full power, you can actually immediately see the change in the surface.
"A second pitch inspection was then decided before warm-up; this time it was absolutely playable, it was fine during the warm-up. When the teams came for the line-up, there was a slight change in the surface because the heating made it humid on the top.
"The grounds team, who know their surface best, said it would hold up, but with this thin layer of humidity, it deteriorated again. It made a thin layer of hard surface on top very quickly, so after six minutes the referee made the tough decision to abandon the match for the safety of players, which is paramount."
Some of that makes sense, but I'm not sure I buy that a pitch that was "absolutely playable" at 11:30 wasn't playable an hour later. Especially as the temperature in London was rising at that time, not going the other way.
The only real answer to this is to play the games at the men's stadiums, but the clubs will be worried about wear and tear on the pitches. There's no way they will be able to put undersoil heating in the likes of Kingsmeadow and Meadow Park, plus the cost of running and maintaining it. With the current energy prices it can cost as much as £10,000 to have it on for two days.
Players warm up, that's the clue, close to kick off, so they are warm come kick off, likely go in 10 to 15 mins before kick off, the pitch deteriorated from "it was absolutely playable, it was fine during the warm-up." to "teams came for the line-up, there was a slight change in the surface because the heating made it humid on the top", so now totally unplayable, see the video pictures of players looking like it was a skating rink.
Throwing the grounds team under the bus, at least they chose not to bash the referee (a welcome change).