The Celtic players and management were shown a presentation by the SFA on Thursday.
The Hoops kick-off their 2023/24 Premiership campaign in under 48 hours time, and excitement is real at the prospect of another successful season.
The SFA have been letting fans know what to expect from the new campaign, and it seems like that has extended to the players too.
The governing body have been going around all of the top-flight clubs in recent times with the Celtic squad, including Brendan Rodgers and coaches, getting their slot at Lennoxtown on Thursday afternoon.
VAR would have been a big topic in the presentation, and Rodgers was asked about the issue at his Thursday press conference. (Celtic YouTube)
“I think, like anything, you have to give it time,” the Celtic boss explained. “I said when I was first up here that I felt it was a really good idea to bring it in. So I’m happy it is in.
“You’re always going to have error but it’s trying to mitigate that as much as you can. The guys did a really good presentation to myself, the players and the staff this afternoon.
“They’ll have learned from last year and some of the issues around it. It’s the same in England, it doesn’t always run smoothly.
“It’s trying to mitigate as many of those wrong decisions as possible and continually learning. I think that’s what the guys will have done from last season.”
The SFA have made some changes to how VAR will operate this season. For a start they’ll now have two designed VARs — Andrew Dallas and Greg Aitken — as well as three designated Assistant VARs.
On top of that, a ‘VAR Independent Review Panel’ has also been created for the new season. This panel — comprised of former players, managers and coaches — will meet on a regular basis to “discuss and give an independent view of VAR interventions and non-interventions.” (SFA)
The governing body clearly seem to think that improvements are required from last season, and they’re not wrong.
Hopefully we’ll see things run much smoother in VAR’s first full season. Although, the proof will be in the pudding.
In other news, Chris Sutton couldn’t resist another dig at Michael Beale ahead of the new season
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