It’s fair to say that VAR in Scottish football isn’t massively popular.
And when it gave a penalty to Hibs for a seemingly unavoidable collision with Liam Scales’ arm against Celtic, Hoops fans were scratching their heads.
They probably weren’t surprised, given the standard of decisions we have seen so far this season – but this was a crucial moment in the game.
Celtic would win the game 2-1 in what was Martin O’Neill’s penultimate match in interim charge, but it was quite a scare.
And reflecting on the decision, SFA head of refereeing Willie Collum’s explanation was just as unsatisfactory as you’d expect.
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Willie Collum on Hibs penalty vs Celtic
To jog your memory, a handball was given when Hibs had a corner, Jack Iredale made contact with the ball and it collided with Scales’ arm within a split second.
Scales’ arm was clearly in a position for him to head the ball, but this was seemingly disregarded.
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This was exactly the kind of decision which has led to VAR being so widely ridiculed. Scales had absolutely no chance of moving his hand away in time.
But on the Scottish Football VAR Review, which includes the VAR audio from the incident, Collum described it as ‘punishable’.
He said: “It’s the right decision. I want to congratulate the VAR team here for use of angles.
“Because they find the crucial angle to be able to make a decision on whether this is a handball or not.
“I have to say that I was watching this match live in the VAR, and it was only this angle (behind the goal) that proves that this is a punishable handball.
“We’re not saying that this is an intentional handball, but it’s punishable. You hear the referee when he comes to the monitor, saying the arm is out from the body.
“And that’s what makes it punishable. This is a correct intervention, and a correct yellow card.”
VAR in Scottish football: incompetent refs, bad technology or both?
Hibs’ penalty decision vs Celtic
Even former elite referee Mark Clattenburg felt that the decision was harsh, given the close proximity and understandable arm position.
Scales, however, must be a bit more familiar with the rules, as he admitted that he expected the penalty to be given.
He said: “Yeah, I’m not going to complain. I think my hand’s probably up.
“It just comes through a lot of bodies, and I just wasn’t anticipating it coming to me, you know?
“I’d have to watch it back, but at the time, I thought that it was going to go to VAR, and would probably be a penalty.
“Yeah, 100% [you don’t know if it’s going to go for or against you], but for me, I thought it was going to go to VAR and be a penalty.
“So, no complaints.”
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