Last Night’s VAR Decisions For Celtic Are Why So Many In Scotland Fear It.

Had we gotten something out of that game last night except a lot of “what if’s” and a hard luck story, people would have been talking about VAR and how it had stolen something from RB Leipzig.

And you know what? Nothing would have been stolen from at all.

Neither goal should have counted. The rules are clear on this. There was no controversy to be had here. Technology didn’t come to Celtic’s rescue. It simply highlighted that in both of those incidents there was violation of the rules. The violation was the point. The technology allowed us to recognise them. That isn’t controversial at all.

For a while now you’ve heard that our rivals support the implementation of VAR. But only when it is giving them decisions. The thing about those cameras is that they do not discriminate. They will be a leveller. They were be a final arbiter. We saw last night the reason why the technology was wanted, and why it has been implemented.

I know that there are as many people in the game here who fear VAR as there are those who are looking forward to it. There are certain players who should be very afraid of it for a start, and there are others who will gain something from it.

Our style should lend itself to VAR very well.

We play a high line, and players will have to be very good indeed to beat our off-side trap.

Players in Scotland who have, for years, got away with all sorts of pulling and holding in the penalty box will be punished for it, and those who are quick thinking and moving will terrorise them all the more.

I saw real things to be optimistic about in VAR last night, as I have before. I am confident that this will be a net positive for Celtic. Those who want to see controversy will see it regardless; the only question that matters is “were those decisions right?”

And since both of them were, any discussion about them would not have been about controversy but about bias.

We’ll see plenty of that when it finally comes to our game.