The debate surrounding Video Assistant Referee technology in Scottish football has reached fever pitch following Rangers' contentious 2-1 victory over Livingston at Ibrox, with Livingston manager David Martindale questioning the very purpose of VAR after another weekend of controversial decisions.
The Ibrox Incidents That Have Everyone Talking
With the score locked at 1-1 during the 21st minute, a pivotal moment occurred when Livingston's Tete Yengi attempted to chip Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland. The ball clearly struck Rangers defender Manny Fernandez on the lower part of his left arm, yet referee Ross Hardie waved play on and VAR official John Beaton declined to intervene.
The Scottish FA later justified the non-decision citing 'close proximity' and 'natural position of the arm', though from multiple angles in the stadium, Fernandez's arm appeared to be positioned away from his body and possibly moving toward the ball. The distance between Yengi and Fernandez also seemed sufficient to question the 'close proximity' argument.
Martindale expressed his frustration post-match, stating: 'I don't think they understand what's actually at stake and how much this means to managers and clubs. It's just flippant. Oh, we got it wrong. Sorry. Move on to next week when there's another three decisions that are wrong.'
The VAR Paradox: Saviour and Villain
In a remarkable twist that encapsulates Scottish football's VAR dilemma, the technology later prevented a potentially catastrophic error that would have denied Rangers their winning goal.
When James Tavernier played the ball forward in the 78th minute, assistant referee Dougie Potter incorrectly raised his flag for offside against Mohamed Diomande. Replays showed Diomande was 'onside by an absolute country mile', and only VAR intervention allowed the goal to stand after Bojan Miovski's knock-on.
This created what many are calling Scottish football's impossible choice: you can't trust officials with VAR, and you can't trust them without it.
Broader Concerns About Scottish Officiating
The recurring errors have intensified scrutiny on SFA head of refereeing Willie Collum, whose monthly appearances on Sky Sports to explain officiating mistakes are 'starting to wear a bit thin' according to critics.
The solution, many argue, lies not in abandoning technology but in dramatically improving the standards of those operating it. There are growing calls for Collum to implement better training programmes for officials working with video technology while maintaining competence in real-time match decision-making.
Meanwhile, Rangers' performance under new head coach Danny Rohl raised additional concerns, with defenders Nasser Djiga and Fernandez described as 'particularly awful' in conceding to Yengi. The team's lack of invention in the final third and overall flat performance at Ibrox highlighted the challenges Rohl faces until the January transfer window.
As Scottish football grapples with this officiating crisis, the fundamental question remains: does VAR need fixing, or do the people operating it need replacing?
