Ange Postecoglou gave a forthright opinion of today’s refereeing, VAR, and the perception of decisions Celtic get after the Bhoys beat Hearts 4-3 at Tynecastle.
The 90 minutes were littered with strange refereeing calls, with officials’ use of VAR technology certainly attracting the ire of many supporters and pundits.
Postecoglou has rarely discussed referees since arriving in Scotland, but today made it clear he thought the Bhoys should have a penalty after an apparent Michael Smith handball in the box.
He also suggested the fact it wasn’t given is proof that VAR won’t be perfect, despite what other managers might say about the technology and how it could benefit them against the Bhoys.
As quoted by Football Scotland, the Bhoys boss said after the game: “It’s here and it should be here. I don’t like the whole theatre around it. I think there’s too much emphasis on it and it takes too long to make a decision. It’s going to have teething problems and it’s going to take a while for them to streamline the process. I just don’t like the standing about.
“We’re here to watch the football, not to sit around and wait for people to make decisions around things. I thought we had a clear-cut handball, so what do I know? Even on TV, apparently, that’s not good enough. We haven’t had a penalty all year. I keep hearing opposition managers saying we (Celtic) get everything. The only penalties we’ve taken so far are in training, so I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s as if people assume everything is going to be clear-cut, and I look forward to fellow managers accepting the fact that VAR is not going to be clear-cut. That’s the problem. People think it’s going to come in and clear everything up, but it doesn’t. There are still human beings involved.”
This is certainly a bit more direct than some of the quotes that usually come from the manager on such subjects. As stated, he hasn’t exactly been one for calling others out.
He gets frustrated when he feels myths are circulating about his team, however. And rightly so. Just this week, David Martindale suggested his club would benefit from the technology against the Bhoys. [Daily Record]
Postecoglou is smarter than that and understands the situation perfectly.
In other news, Pressure builds on faltering Rangers as Celtic end Saturday 4 points clear.
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