Luke McCowan shares what he really thinks of VAR and referees at Celtic Park after latest controversies

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Celtic fans have had to deal with controversial VAR decisions ever since the SFA introduced the technology back in October 2022.

VAR was meant to cut out refereeing errors by giving the match officials a second chance to look at decisions they have made in error.

Celtic’s win over Motherwell was bogged down by two VAR Celtic Park decisions that caused discussion over whether or not Hoops wingers Hyunjun Yang and Daizen Maeda should have been awarded a spot kick in the 4-0 victory.

The referee determined Celtic winger Yang was fouled and a penalty was given whilst the kick at Maeda appears to have been ruled accidental as no punishment was dealt.

Speaking about match officiating, Luke McCowan has delivered what he thinks of VAR and referees specifically when teams come to Parkhead.

Celtic’s Luke McCowan wants VAR to get ‘the decisions right for football’

McCowan told the Daily Record, “It does bring a lot of delays, especially when teams come to Celtic Park.

“I felt it myself when I came here with Dundee. You want the game to be as fluent as possible and sometimes it isn’t, which is not great.

“That’s not just VAR at times, it can be how the referee manages the game. That’s the only downside to VAR, the delays. Sometimes I think it takes five or 10 minutes to put the telly on!

“It’s not my place to say whether it’s working or not. Everyone in the game has it now so we just need to go along with it. You just hope it gets the decisions right for football.”

VAR continues to play a major part in Celtic’s season

Just recently, the KMI panel reviewed the Celtic Park penalty decision given for the Hoops against Motherwell and unanimously decided the referee was correct to award the penalty for the challenge on Yang.

And who can forget the penalty controversy in the Celtic vs Rangers League Cup final? That debate is still ongoing as the fallout of the Parkhead club’s Hampden win still rumbles on.

FIFA is planning reforms to VAR that Celtic fans will like as the world governing body looks to streamline the controversial refereeing technology to ensure decisions are made correctly and fairly across world football.

Until then, be prepared for more mistakes because until the SFA and the referees can clamp down on how the rules are interpreted, more honest mistakes are likely to happen before the season ends.