There’s been a lot of talking about video-assisted referees (VAR) in recent weeks as managers speak out, clubs discuss it behind-closed-doors and journalists report on the stance of the Scottish Premiership.
We already know that Celtic and manager Ange Postecoglou are in favour of it. That has been made abundantly clear already. The Bhoys boss described the implementation of the system as ‘inevitable’ a few months ago.
Most recent reporting on the subject, via Stephen McGowan at The Scottish Daily Mail, reveals that Celtic are actually growing impatient with the delay in its rollout, with clubs in the Scottish Premiership yet to even agree if it will be used.
That vote is coming this spring, but it seems that plans are already well underway for the use of VAR in Scottish football.
A small clue of that came today when Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd, one of the key stakeholders in VAR’s introduction, posted a permanent job vacancy for a position based in Scotland.
Uploaded to LinkedIn, the job listing says: “As a Football Systems Operator, you will be working in the Video Operations Room (VOR), playing a key part in the delivery of our services to the Scottish FA. As you gain experience in the role, you may be expected to be involved in more competitions throughout Europe and further afield; such as but not limited to the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and FIFA World Cups.
“The role will encompass the set-up and operation of our Video Assistant Referee technology at matches. You will work directly with match officials, operating the Hawk-Eye technology and providing them with the best possible camera angles to make crucial decisions in real-time.”
Key responsibilities include:
- Pre-match planning and administration in the days leading up to your games
- Setting up Hawk-Eye technology in the Video Operations Room
- Conducting pre-match checks of the systems in accordance with standard procedures
- Liaising with support staff, match officials and supervisors on-site
- Operating the systems during the match
- Monitoring hardware and software performances, being able to troubleshoot and report encountered issues
Essentially they are putting together the on-site technical staff to support the actual decision-makers, the referees, in using VAR in Scottish football.
Hawk-Eye, as you may be aware, innovated goalline technology and work across many sports.
It certainly sounds as if this is well down the path, at least organisationally, even if the clubs haven’t formally signed off on it all yet.
Despite costs per annum potentially going beyond £100,000 for each club, the VAR momentum will be hard to stop when Celtic, Rangers, the SFA and referees all want it.
In other news, New radio broadcast deal for Celtic announced.
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