Another weekend of football, another refereeing controversy. This time it was in the Women’s Super League amid widespread criticism of referee Emily Heaslip, who sent off Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood in the 38th minute of the match against Chelsea for time-wasting.
While Greenwood’s second yellow card was a bizarre moment, as taking 26 seconds to take a free-kick seemed fairly innocuous in the context of the match, it does serve as part of a trend in top-flight women’s football. Greenwood’s was one of two red cards in the game, as team-mate Lauren Hemp was sent off after her second yellow later in the game, too.
That was the fourth red card handed out in the WSL this season, in just the 11th match played. In the whole of last season there were only eight red cards. There has been a sharp increase in bookings across the WSL, so what has changed?
Why are there more red cards and bookings?
The Football Association and Professional Game Match Officials Limited decided to clamp down on time-wasting tactics and dissent this season, not just across the WSL but at all levels of the game. That applies to both players and coaches, and the effect has been immediate – a surge in bookings in the WSL after two weekends of action.
After 12 games played in the WSL this season, there have already been 43 yellow cards. Last year there were only 23 at this stage, and the previous season there were 28. It took 19 games last season for the 43rd yellow to be dished out, and 55 games for four reds.
This spike is understandable, considering there is likely to be an adjustment period for both referees and players to adapt to the new conditions. The hope is things will even out. But, considering the WSL has such a short season (with only 22 matches played per team), each result – and each player ban – can count for a lot more in the final table standings come May.
Manchester City’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday is a prime example, as Emma Hayes’s side salvaged a point at the death against the depleted City line-up. It could well be remembered as a crucial point in the title race.
Context around refereeing in WSL
While the Premier League grapples with Var controversies almost every week, the WSL still does not have the technology – but the outcry this crackdown on time-wasting has already sparked suggests they have enough to worry about anyway.
We are right to question Heaslip’s subjective Greenwood time-wasting decision, as it did have a game-changing impact. But it was distressing to see reports that she had to be escorted out of the City ground flanked by security for her own protection. That is not a common occurrence in the women’s top flight, and it is a worrying development.
It must be said that referees in the WSL are not full-time, and so expecting them to deliver a fully professional standard in every decision they make is not fair. The level of scrutiny on these part-time referees is now at peak, and the low rewards on offer may put off more from getting involved in women’s football if criticism continues to grow.
Just this past week Aston Villa’s Anna Patten called for investment in that side of the game, as refereeing standards had to keep up. “We’re [the players] obviously all full time now – that’s an expectation within the WSL. So why can’t the referees have that opportunity to be full time and better themselves,” Patten told Sky News. “They’ll probably feel better going into games as well making those big calls.”
What has the reaction been?
While Hemp’s sending off was largely seen as fair (her first yellow was for dissent), Greenwood’s time-wasting yellow was particularly harsh, especially considering it came in the middle of the first half.
City manager Gareth Taylor, who received his own booking for protesting Greenwood’s sending off to the referee, was unsurprisingly unhappy post-match. “Three red cards in two games is going to send a message to anyone who has not watched us play that we’re a dirty team,” he said, referring to the red card City’s Leila Ouahabi received in their opening game of the season. “But I think anyone who’s watched us in the last few games will never say that.
“We are a good, young team that maintain possession of the ball really well. We’re exciting to watch, and we would like to keep all our players on the pitch. So I think if there is consistency, most of the game, we’re going to see a lot of that with players getting yellow cards and red cards.
“I’m all about respect. It’s such a hard job for the officials, especially when you have players coming at you and maybe staff. But let’s move it a little bit slower because, if not, it will be an eight-a-side league unfortunately – if they are consistent.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes – whose team benefitted from the two red-card decisions that went against City – said referees should not be blamed, as clubs had been given fair warning of this stricter approach ahead of the season. “Does it spoil the game? Yes, of course it does. But I want to be clear, it’s easy to attack the officials, but they were clear in terms of what they expected from us and our players, and I think they’ve applied it in both games we’ve played in – from our perspective.”
Pundits and former Lionesses Rachel Brown-Finnis and Fara Williams both condemned Greenwood’s sending off on the BBC. Meanwhile, Beth Mead, who is yet to return from injury for Arsenal, made her thoughts known on X (formerly Twitter). “Awful decision, never time-wasting,” she wrote, alongside ‘facepalm’ and ‘mind blown’ emojis.
Former top-flight player Gilly Flaherty, who holds the record for the most appearances in the WSL, reacted to Greenwood’s sending off, too: “The refs are giving out cards this season like they earning commission per card. Where’s the common sense in this decision come on.”
Verdict: is this switch in approach good for the game?
This refereeing change will likely improve player behaviour and hopefully see a reduction in harassment and crowding of referees on the pitch in the long run. But the way it was applied on Sunday ruined the game from a spectator standpoint.
Taylor was right in describing the match as “subdued” due to the 11 yellow cards that were dished out, and what should have been an exciting clash between two top teams became hinged around refereeing decisions.
