VAR seems as far away as ever in Scotland despite Rangers weighing in

Nikola Katic celebrates scoring the winner at Celtic last month – but Rangers were still unhappy and issued a call for VAR after the game.

Perhaps Rangers genuinely believe VAR would benefit the Scottish game. Maybe Celtic’s silent, subtle opposition is well founded on the idea of farce upon farce in England. Yet little or no of the Old Firm’s general behaviour over decades implies the greater good is of prime concern. the most important clubs enjoy marginal calls, especially reception , so why would the Glasgow giants – now jousting again for trophies – want an alteration to the status quo?

Further subplots to the present debate, should the SPFL let it happen , are fascinating. Maxwell has come struggling from referees, who feel they might be left behind in respect of European appointments should Scotland – which still doesn’t utilise goalline technology – rebuff VAR. This exists in, among other places, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic , Greece, Israel and Poland. Although the argument of these officials is slightly spurious – Uefa provides its own VAR training – it’s reasonable for them to fear backwards movement in years to return . the extent of vitriol and conspiracy chucked at Scottish referees, and particularly when the Old Firm are in close competition, renders it perfectly correct for them to hunt assistance.

So much of Scotland’s football deciding , even for clubs at the upper echelon, revolves around finance. It remains a stretch to suggest Hamilton, Livingston or maybe Motherwell will gladly remove tens of thousands of pounds from their annual bottom line for VAR. For context, even £50,000 could instead be invested during a first-team player at that level. a replacement and enhanced television affect Sky Sports, which kicks in next season, provides upcoming commercial leeway but there’s little indication of clubs having an appetite to divert money towards a system routinely derided in England. agen judi bola terbaik https://www.judibolaterbaik.co

There would be infrastructure challenges, again finance-linked. Screens would wish to be erected at umpteen Premiership grounds if the in-game experience is to be properly modified for VAR. Although bases exist for a possible Stockley Park equivalent, provision of suitable connectivity – Scotland’s Premiership is played in places as remote as Dingwall – would be a challenge. VAR are often implemented from as few as four live broadcast cameras per match, the amount deployed at smaller Premiership games in Scotland, but should a scarcity of angles cause ambiguity, would this “cheap” sort of VAR be lambasted?

There is a growing acceptance that England’s application of VAR, instead of the concept, has proved problematic. Still, events there’ll be a key point of reference because the SPFL’s clubs finally get round to a VAR decision which has been even more protracted than offside involves goals within the Premier League. the chances remain against Scotland taking fresh technology on board. You get the distinct impression the SPFL isn’t in the least perturbed by that.