“I don't like the whole theatre around it, there is too much emphasis on it and it takes too long to make a decision,” remarked Ange Postecoglou as he reflected on Var’s eventful debut weekend in the Scottish Premiership.
The Australian has repeatedly clarified his reasoning behind his disdain towards technology in football, and 100 stop-start minutes at Tynecastle on Saturday lunchtime did not alter his perspective.
Postecoglou’s concerns are valid, and his views are not unique, but officials in Scotland have required additional support for some time. Refereeing standards have plummeted in recent years, and the introduction of Var should rectify many of the wrongs that occur on a near-weekly basis.
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Nick Walsh handled the first televised Var match between Hearts and Celtic - and he endured a difficult 90 minutes. The referee required direction from Clydesdale House to award Hearts a clear penalty, and Anthony Ralston had a diving header disallowed due to Walsh whistling before completion of the attacking action.
Celtic could, and probably should, have had a first-half penalty for a handball offence, yet Walsh was not encouraged by Var to review his original on-field decision. There will always be calls made that are subjective, not all decisions have a clear directive to follow, especially the bewildering handball law, and refereeing inconsistencies will remain a permanent bugbear.
The Rangers-Livingston game was a sedate affair, with Var only intervening to encourage David Munro to re-watch a dangerous lunge from Morgan Boyes on Alfredo Morelos. The referee awarded a free-kick, but the severity of the challenge was not apparent until further angles emerged. A painstakingly slow process ensued, but the former Liverpool youth was correctly issued a red card.
The Scottish game is renowned for its physicality, and referees have a propensity, for some unknown reason, to be more lenient towards robust challenges than their counterparts south of the border. Var should lead to more matches being uniformly controlled, and referees will have to learn to be less forgiving in the technological age.
Scotland ended last season as the ninth-highest-ranked league in Europe, yet the Premiership was the highest-positioned championship without functioning Var. The SPFL and Scottish FA had no alternative but to find the necessary finance to introduce technology and help reduce the strain on part-time officials.
Motherwell manager Stevie Hammell raged at the lack of a Var check on a possible late penalty shout for his team against Aberdeen, but it was a promising, albeit imperfect, start for the video officials in Scotland. Teething problems were inevitable, referees are learning as they go, and extended conversations between officials and Var HQ ensured copious amounts of additional time across the league.
A 4:50pm finish on a Saturday afternoon is likely to become a rarity in the changing Premiership era, and it will only be a matter of time before The International Football Association Board (IFAB) considers the merits of a stop-clock.
The Hearts-Celtic game was an enthralling spectacle, the match of the season so far, and it ebbed and flowed from start to finish. Did Var contribute to the drama at Tynecastle? Undoubtedly - and Scottish football is in desperate need of further excitement.
There is usually a clamour from fans and media to find out the name of the official selected to take charge of an Old Firm game. The interest in the Var appointment for the derby clash on January 2nd will generate equal intrigue, and a man in a booth at Clydesdale House, miles from Ibrox and detached from the action, will have a significant say on Scotland’s premier fixture.
It’s a sign of the times, and now technology has finally been embraced, there is no way back.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
