Watch the situation that angered the Dif coach in the player above.
As recently as yesterday, Djurgården’s coach Marcelo Fernandez went out and criticized the refereeing action after the Stockholm team’s loss against Häcken.
– There is an easy offense now, and I don’t think that will move women’s soccer forward, said the coach, pointing to a lack of communication in the series.
An aspect that must be improved, says SVT Sports expert Hanna Marklund.
– As a player and coach, it is extremely important to be able to talk to the referees. You want to understand how the judge was thinking, otherwise it often gets annoying, says Marklund.
“We need to work on it”
This is what the Swedish Football Association’s referee coach Pernilla Larsson says:
– Sometimes it’s not always the decision we make, but how we communicate that stands out. We need to work on the way we communicate and create an understanding of each other’s roles, she says and continues:
– If someone comes forward and confronts the referee in an upset manner, it is quite difficult to expect a yoga teacher back.
Another verdict that was criticized during the spring was Hammarby’s dismissed case against Rosengård in May.
Experience no more criticism
But Pernilla Larsson does not think that the criticism has been harsher this year compared to previous seasons.
– No, I think it is quite similar. This is my third season in charge of the judges. Before that, I refereed the women’s league for 18 years. It’s pretty much the same now, says Larsson and adds:
– What is clear is that there is much more focus on the women’s league now than a few years ago.
Larsson admits that there are areas for development for the referees.
– It is with every right that we should set higher demands, as the series is much better now than five years ago. It will be a better football all the time. There will be more television, media and reporting.