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VAR Will Limit The Number Of “Honest Mistakes.” That’s Why Some Don’t Want It.

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The SFA is an organisation that is completely unwilling to change with the times, and the only circumstances under which they ever do so is when they are dragged, kicking and screaming, across the line.

VAR is but one example of this, but it’s an important one because its implementation would remove a lot of the possibility of “honest mistakes.”

I have always been convinced that this is the reason a lot of folk do not want it.

All this talk of costs and difficulties and logistics is so much trash. Refs in Scotland have their own wee private fiefdom, where their decisions are barely questioned and where every time they get scrutiny they squeal until people stop looking at them.

It is pathetic. When it comes to dodging accountability for their mistakes only directors have more protection within the game, and the position of refs is even more feather-bedded and immune to watching eyes.

It is time that changed and since the SFA is highly resistant to anything which compels referees to explain themselves a lot of us put our hope in technology.

The excuses for not introducing VAR are exactly that; they are excuses.

Force referees to confront video evidence of major incidents and you’d force them to play it straight or face questions for which they can’t offer any answers at all.

Some of the decisions which we present class as “inexplicable” would become “indefensible” instead, and that’s a game changer.

The SFA was never going to do this voluntarily.

Now UEFA are making it clear that Scottish refs will be barred from handling major competitions on the continent if the systems aren’t implemented in our domestic game. As per usual with our refs it’s all going to come down to their self-interests, their own selfish concerns.

For once I don’t care about that.

Once again, our governing bodies are going to be forced to a humiliating retreat, having something beneficial to the whole sport forced upon them.

Scotland will implement VAR, and it probably won’t be long delayed.

The era of the “honest mistake” will soon be over.

Whether it becomes the era of the dishonest one, where VAR makes no difference at all and officials still try to brass neck their way through blatantly corrupt decisions, is something that we’ll have to wait and see about.

That’s what passes for progress around here.

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