VAR has been the big headline-grabber this week after Celtic were penalised at Ibrox by the refereeing technology.
There is no point picking over the bones of the Fabio Silva decision, we all know 67 Hail Hail’s thoughts on that but it seems that it’s not just Celtic who have been affected by poor refereeing decisions this week.
Aberdeen had a goal chalked off against Motherwell at the weekend after Bojan Miovski‘s bicycle kick was ruled offside. Have a look at the goal below:
It was a decision that enraged The Dons and, like Celtic, they have contacted the SFA privately demanding answers for a decision that could prove costly in terms of league placings.
Michael Stewarts labels VAR an ’embarrassment’
The BBC pundit was vociferous in his criticism of VAR in the Glasgow Derby and now, after watching the Aberdeen goal, Stewart took to social media to quote tweet the goal and to make a bold prediction on the refereeing technology.
Stewart said [X], “Could this be the start of the end of VAR in Scotland! Embarrassment after embarrassment and terrible the for fans inside the stadium.
“This highlights perfectly the shambles that is VAR in Scotland.
“The technology didn’t work and the officials guess to disallow a goal! Simply unacceptable. Raises the question of what else is just guesswork….”
It’s clear that whilst the refereeing technology has the potential to be a positive influence on the game, the way it has been implemented in Scotland has, as Stewart says, been shambolic.
The number of handballs that went against Celtic in its implementation period was just farcical. We all remember Alexandro Bernabei and Matt O’Riley being punished for handballs they couldn’t avoid.
We can also recall the penalty Celtic didn’t get against Hearts when James Forrest was stopped from attacking the Tynecastle side’s goal after a clear handball by Hearts defender wasn’t given.
Whatever happens over the next few months, I don’t believe this is the end for VAR. I am hoping that it’s the beginning of the SFA getting their act together to get their officials using it properly as it can work if applied correctly.
