Today, my podcasting colleague Joe McHugh put up a piece on Alan Muir, stating that his absence from VAR duties is set to be extended following events at Easter Road. Now, we all know that these guys are regularly rotated, making it difficult to pinpoint whether or not Muir is actually being punished.
But it seems likely—and I’m going to tell you why.
When it comes to making mistakes on VAR, most officials who do so have a very simple get-out clause: they can fall back on the fact that their job is difficult and that mistakes sometimes happen. But this isn’t one of those cases, and we shouldn’t pretend that it is. This isn’t just a simple error. It’s not a failure to spot an incident or an interpretation that can be debated later.
In this case, there is no debate whatsoever. It doesn’t seem as if Muir simply got a decision wrong—he actually substituted his own judgment for what’s in the rulebook. And the rulebook is crystal clear on this. Everyone knows that VAR can only interfere in an on-field decision if there is a clear and obvious error. The only way a referee or VAR official can overturn a goal for the ball being out of play is if there’s clear evidence that the whole ball was out. These rules are not subjective.
Quite literally, they are among the most black-and-white rules in the book. They say what they mean and mean what they say. And yet, despite that, Muir decided to apply his own interpretation—making a decision that had no basis in fact, no basis in reality, and, therefore, no basis at all.
That takes this beyond the realm of mere error. Muir disallowed a Celtic goal with no justification whatsoever. None. That makes this a far bigger. If you wanted to be brutally harsh, you could put it this way—it’s almost as if Alan Muir deliberately sought out a reason to disallow the goal and latched onto the flimsiest pretext he could find.
Now, we’ll get Collum on his little VAR show, and he’ll offer excuses. He’ll try to rationalise why this was done. But you won’t hear from Muir himself. And that’s where I have a huge problem with this entire system.
The guy who made the decision, the guy responsible for this, won’t have to explain it to the likes of us. And he should have to explain it to us. He should have to stand in front of the cameras and justify his decision.
People forget that these are not shrinking violets. These are not volunteers doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. These officials are well paid. As Joe’s piece points out, Muir is one of only three full-time VAR officials in Scottish football. So the whole game in this country deserves an answer as to why he made that decision.
I’m not naive enough to think we’ll actually get one. But in the absence of that, it’s good to think that some sort of sanction has been applied—because there has to be. For a call like that—one that’s difficult to even characterise as a mistake—there has to be accountability. You wonder if a demotion from his full-time role isn’t in order here.
If this was the first inexplicable decision he’d made against us, you might think that was a harsh verdict. But this is far from an isolated incident. This one just happens to be particularly egregious.
Everyone recognises that the goal should have stood. But more importantly, everyone recognised it on the day. Not a single frame available to the officials showed the ball as having gone out. In the aftermath of the game, Rodgers went out of his way to make it plain that he knows the rules—even if Muir is pretending not to. There was no way for Muir to make an accurate judgment, and the rulebook explicitly states that, in that situation, he wasn’t supposed to do anything at all.
So it would make sense if he has been punished. It would make sense for the SFA to bench him for a while to send a clear message—to him and to others—that they can’t just blatantly ignore precedent and the rulebook.
But that doesn’t solve the bigger problem.
The real issue is why people like Muir get these games in the first place. As I said in a previous piece, demanding explanations is one thing—but what we really should be demanding is reform. And a good start would be to improve VAR technology so that decisions like this are taken out of the hands of those who do not wish Celtic well. Another would be to make sure they never referee our games in the first place. We live in hope that one day we’ll take a real stand.
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I’ll be honest here and thought at the time that the ball was out or part of it was out and said ok…
I had no idea that the WHOLE ball had to be out –
There again ma background was in production and not professional refereeing and if you made a serious fuck up like that in production you’d be in real trouble and therefore so should he be…
They have ONCE AGAIN had a horrendous week with Celtic, Dundee United, Kilmarnock and St.Mirren all having justification to be highly aggrieved…
One would like to think that The Hi-Bees have used up all their refereeing luck v Celtic and Dundee United but me thinks they’ll benefit in a roundabout way on Sunday from the non stonewall award to St.Mirren v Celtic !
@ Clach. Thought it was out myself Clach. Tho this guy has even worse previous with us and it’s now obvious he’s guessed. He can’t be trusted tae officiate in any Celtic game.
He didn’t even guess the right or wrong of the situations.
He saw an opportunity to intervene and give a decision based on prejudice.
The rule book was precise in its wording. VAR should only intervene in the case of a ‘clear and obvious error.
It was neither clear or obvious, if it was he would have been able to provide photographic evidence to the On Field Match Officials.
He deliberately, with malice of forethough, made the decision to deny Celtic an equaliser.
He should be sacked. It was a corrupt decision. Celtic should chase this one down just as wee Fergus chased Farry out the SFA door.
Us the fans should keep up the pressure on our Club to lance this particular boil for good and as a warning to the LRA & the SFA.
Just as the ‘Penalty Rangers’ pattern of assistance has been blocked off this latest example of biased officiating needs neutering also.
If he has not applied the rules that are quite clear he has to resign.
I’m not as jaded as you, clearly. I think Collum will come out and say it was wrong and that he let his on field colleagues down.
I don’t expect him to be in post next season.
It is irrelevant whether the ball was in or out or whether people think it was either.
The ONLY thing that is relevant is on what basis Muir made the call he did – to overrule an on field decision by referee and linesman with no evidence to do so.
What he did was guess, as Brendan stated, and that is far beyond his remit as a VAR official.
As to his motivation for doing so, well that is another matter, and one that the authorities would prefer to ignore.
This surely lays to rest the idea that Celtic/The Celtic Board do nothing to challenge referee decisions.
That is a knee jerk reaction during the period Celtic are considering and preparing their challenge using their knowledge of football law, which the legal guys at Celtic have in abundance speaking from experience of dealing with 2 past Company Secretaries over the years. That is why they had input to FSR regulations.
That is not to say they are faultless, who is? But they are a long long way from clueless and cowardice.
The idea MN is passive in all matters is simply a wrong one, but it has an audience who do not have enough information to arrive at a more truthful narrative.
Not one usually to argue with you on most things Celtic Auldheid but regarding your last sentence,
neither have you unless you can demonstrate otherwise apropos the current Leadership Team.
As for Nicholson the ersatz CEO, he is just a marionette for the Master Puppeteer.
No visibility, silent and the so called ‘ Public Face’ of the Club.
If it walks like…well you know how the saying goes.
Just as you must realise about the ‘switcheroo’ at the top of the leadership in the Club.
World Class ma arse.
Optics for the masses.
Just one further point Auldheid, it wasn’t the Celtic Board that applied pressure in this latest instalment of Muir’s biased decision making, it was Brendan publicly confronting the Match Referee after the game that sent the ball rolling.
That allied with all the screenshots that Fan Media and the Celtic supporters supplied that clinched it.
The Celtic Board had an open and shut case.
Muir abused his powers. He subverted the VAR Guidelines and basically lied to the on field Match Officials.
He should be sacked, not suspended or temporarily sidelined.
The Celtic Board can only claim victory here if they can force a biased, corrupt official from ever having any SFA sanctioned dealings with our Club.
Celtic , in the event that he is not sacked or resigns, should declare him PNG’d.
I think Auldheid78 that Lord-Lucan Nicholson (my description of our CEO Micheal) could help himself a little by engaging with Celtic supporters even now and again…
I would never recommend this course of action through The Utter Fuckin Scummy’s of The Scottish Football Media given the history of that sordid shower of twisted and corrupt bastards for sure – But surely a trusted fan media blogger or even the house media Celtic TV could conduct an occasional interview to let us fans know what’s happening on the ground occasionally…
It would be more transparent and make Micheal look like Micheal Nicholson the Celtic CEO rather than the Lord Lucan-Nicholson repetition he commands by his conspicuous ‘absence’ as Celtic CEO !
Did they not come out already and say the decision was based on the best view possible. Cop out at best and still does not qualify the rule but I fear it is the best they will come out with.
I hope the board are contesting these decisions even inn background without flapping and screaming.
dont forgot that it was a split decision by the review panel. one of them agreed with muir ?.
Their opinion doesn’t really count for anything Scousebhoy as they are Covert and therefore undercover, furtive, underhand and clandestine to the core…
But where the actual fuck is that cowardly yellow bastard Collum and his little refs trial deliberation with The ‘Motherwell’ fan on Clyde Superscoreboard !
He’s quick enough outta the traps at the behest of Sevco 24/7/365 !
Many of a hun persuasion argued too that from the stills they could see that the ball was out.
It’s easy to say he had an alternate motive me included as you say, history provides.
But I think he’s a self indulgent twat also. One that is so caught up in himself and his sense of righteousness that he believes in his own press.
After all was not also on VAR for the hun non penalty in the cup final. Twat
Clachnacuddin and the Hoops
says:
March 4, 2025 at 7:12 pm
I think Auldheid78 that Lord-Lucan Nicholson (my description of our CEO Micheal) could help himself a little by engaging with Celtic supporters even now and again…
I would never recommend this course of action through The Utter Fuckin Scummy’s of The Scottish Football Media given the history of that sordid shower of twisted and corrupt bastards for sure – But surely a trusted fan media blogger or even the house media Celtic TV could conduct an occasional interview to let us fans know what’s happening on the ground occasionally…
It would be more transparent and make Micheal look like Micheal Nicholson the Celtic CEO rather than the Lord Lucan-Nicholson repetition he commands by his conspicuous ‘absence’ as Celtic CEO !
A good suggestion. However would it do anything to dispell the Lord Lucan narrative without opening the door to more criticism as he covers the issue?
What is needed is a dialogue where all preconceived notions are left at the door.
I have advantage of having dealt with MN since 2013 on Res12 and got an understanding of his personality in that time.
He values his and his familiy’s privacy and wants to protect them both from the kind of vile stuff that comes from the vile at Ibrox.
He was set up by SFA Darrly Broadfoot and then STV Grant Russell for public exposure in 2016.
The scenario was SFA AGM at Hampden when SFA announced Celtic shareholders lawyer, with Celtic’s knowledge, had approached UEFA with a detailed letter seeking answers to the award of an SFA licence to Rangers in April 2011 when tax overdue to HMRC existed.
This approach was supposed to be kept private. However the SFA made it public and MN found himself pursued by STV camera man and reporter asking if Celtic had approached UEFA.
That shareholder letter produced the NEW club/company reply that sent Rangers fans into a rage and had MN been viewed as the author he would have been a target for threats and abuse.
As a family man would you want to expose yourself and family to such abuse?
Would you want to engage with a support who had prejudged you without knowing a thing about you as a person?
A video interview is as likely to produce negative results as positive preventing reconciliation happening.
What might work is a Truth and Reconciliation approach but based on how I now see the truth which is as DL says, it was all about protecting Rangers, I doubt Celtic supporters could accept that or forgive MN for being a part of keeping Rangers a part of Scottish Football, it would require a change of thinking by the support by encouraging a meeting rather than discouraging one by portraying MN as Lord Lucan. It takes two to tango.
The truth is like an ice berg 8/9ths lie under the surface.