The introduction of VAR into Scottish football was always going to be controversial, whether or not they got the decisions right.
As expected, Celtic has been the club shouting the loudest but, as we’ve seen in England, they can shout as loud as they want and it won’t get them anywhere, VAR is here to stay.
One problem is that pundits still don’t understand the laws of the game, in particular, Celtic TV’s Tom Boyd, an individual who has already been at the centre of an investigation into comments he has made in the past, the outcome of which has never materialised.
After being punished again against Dundee United, and therein lies their real issue with VAR, the former Celtic defender said live in commentary, as reported by The Glasgow Times:
“It’s time like this the referees should ignore the rules.
“He’s putting his arms out for balance. Unbelievable! Referees need to go back to school.”
Yeah, Tom, it doesn’t quite work like that. For those who believe in conspiracies, it doesn’t have to be deliberate handball to be penalised if it hits the arm from anywhere below the shoulder.
The law itself isn’t complicated, it’s just that it has changed a few times and people no longer realise what it is, however, in Tom Boyd’s head, the Scottish officials and VAR are all out to get them. We all know that it is part of a concerted plan to apply pressure to officials as they have done for years and you can only imagine what the build-up to the first VAR Old Firm derby is going to be like with the usual suspects coming out of the woodwork.
Imagine actually suggesting that a referee should “ignore the rules” purely to avoid giving a decision against Celtic, after all, they’ve been ignoring them for years at Parkhead.