Celtic reporter John McGinley believes the decision to introduce VAR halfway through next season will be ‘mental’ and may cause lots of problems.
On Tuesday, 42 Scottish clubs in the country’s top four divisions voted on whether to introduce VAR to the Premiership, and an overwhelming majority expressed their desire to bring in the technology. As of now, the plans are to have it in place following the 2022 World Cup, with it set to cost the 12 top-tier clubs £1.2m a season.
Writing on Twitter, McGinley shared his worries about the timing of the introduction, saying: “I think it’s going to be mental and create a million grievances. But ultimately, if majority of clubs agree to introduce it mid-season, then that is the competition they sign up to.”
TIF Thoughts on VAR timing
The Scottish Premiership is one of the few divisions to not have the technology in place, and Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has made it clear he would like to see VAR used in the competition. However, the decision to bring it in halfway through the campaign is no doubt peculiar.
Having technology for only half a season causes obvious problems. At some points, sides will not get decisions they feel others will get later on in the term, and it could quite clearly create an unfair playing field. As the old saying goes, it will all even itself out over a whole season, but in this case, there will be two different terms in one.
Do you want VAR introduced?
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It will take a certain amount of time to install at stadiums across the country and preparations will need to be made to make sure everyone is ready to use it properly, but it would surely make sense to wait another 12 months if it isn’t in place for the start of the 2022/23 season.