Soccer has taken big leaps forward over a longer period now.
The development has been lacking on the referee side, according to Sweden's team captain Kosovare Asllani.
Sweden's women's soccer team won clearly 3-0 in the EM qualifying match away to Ireland in Dublin, but a lot of the aftermath was about the performance from the Hungarian referee Katalin Kulcsár and her team.
A missed penalty when Filippa Angeldahl was brought down, non-existent corners and lenient yellow cards made the Swedish players frustrated.
Sweden received a total of five warnings.
The criticism has a purpose, Asllani means.
Referees usually allow team captains to discuss with the main referee during the match, but that was not the case at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Coach Peter Gerhardsson reacted mainly to a lack of communication in the referee team and says that the fourth referee acknowledged to him during the match that incorrect decisions were made.
The qualifying round for the 2025 European Football Championship in Switzerland is divided into several divisions, similar to the Nations League setup. Sweden plays in the A-division, the highest.
The first and second in A-division's four qualifying groups will go directly to the EM. The third and fourth will have to play a playoff in the fall. Switzerland is directly qualified.
Sweden's matches: April 5 England 1-1 (away), April 9 France 0-1 (home), May 31 Ireland 3-0 (away), June 4 Ireland (home), July 12 France (away), July 16 England (home).
