All too often in Scottish football, it requires calling out from outside forces before any meaningful change can happen. Sky Sports’ pundit and former Grade 1 referee Dermot Gallagher has done just that.
Gallagher Validates Rodgers
Speaking yesterday on Sky Sports, Gallagher, who often runs the rule over dodgy refereeing decisions both north and south of the border for the broadcaster, backed Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers over the lack of conclusive proof regarding Saturday’s disallowed Daizen Maeda goal.
Gallagher said: “The assistant couldn’t tell for sure for two reasons. Firstly, the speed of the move and secondly Johnston’s body covers where the ball actually is. So, it’s a really, really tough call.”
No Clear Image
In other words, there was no clear image showing the ball was definitely out.
At the time of writing the SFA have yet to respond to the barrage of criticism meted out by even some of their staunchest defenders in the media.
Celtic also have yet to make an official statement on the matter, though Brendan Rodgers certainly hasn’t missed the target with his skewering post match comments. He also clarified yesterday that the club has been in contact with the SFA over the matter.
Time for Club to Act
One would hope that the manager and the club are on the same page in this regard. Unlike certain other clubs, Celtic aren’t the types to reach for the Crayolas every time they don’t get things their own way. However, sentiment amongst the fanbase is that this nonsense needs calling out. VAR was supposed to bring an end to these “honest mistakes”.
All it seems to have done in actuality is push these “errors” further into the spotlight. Celtic should elaborate on Rodgers’ confirmation that there has been contact with the authorities at the earliest opportunity.
Was this the Plan All Along?
Again, there’s still a part of me that thinks this might be the plan from the authorities all along. Publicly running Scotland’s “Poundland VAR” into the ground to the extent that fans demand it is scrapped would certainly suit referees uncomfortable with scrutiny.
We all make mistakes; that makes us human. What matters however is how we handle them. Celtic, our players and our manager made mistakes against Hibs at the weekend, and to their credit, the Edinburgh side punished us accordingly. But we will see tonight against Aberdeen how Celtic make those mistakes right. Our actions on the pitch will speak louder than words.
Fan Confidence in VAR Hits a New Low
Meanwhile, neither actions nor words can smooth over the ever-eroding veneer of respectability most fans in Scotland now have for VAR.
I personally remain an advocate for VAR, as I believe anything that increases accountability to consumers in any walk of life is a good thing. The gross mismanagement needs to end though.
VAR in its current, error-strewn state is unsustainable in Scotland. But for now, all the likes of Brendan Rodgers and Dermot Gallagher can do is continue to highlight it. I sincerely hope the Celtic board won’t be as passive on this as they have been in the face of previous such incidents.
Saturday’s defeat won’t stop us winning the league, but there may come a time in the future when such a decision causes genuine harm to our club’s standing. That cannot be allowed to happen.