Rangers secured three important points against Motherwell this afternoon but VAR came under the spotlight at Fir Park with a couple of the goals given, in particular.
For Motherwell’s opener as well as the crucial third goal for Rangers, they were tight calls with both goals awarded after VAR checks. It was a matter discussed at length by Kris Boyd and James McFadden on duty for Sky Sports immediately after the game with the graphics in discussion.
As can be seen below, the is a variance with the lines on the pitch compared to what VAR presented. It is something that has happened before, including the recent World Cup with the ‘perception’ of the angles framing the debate.
This gets worse by the minute. Look at the pics below. 2nd one has the exaggerated line of the cut of the grass. I get camera angles etc but come off it. Line starts 3 yards ahead of the cut and finishes on the cut.
Its the worst VAR line ever. 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/XG3YfkSrhb
— Jas Boyd (@Jas72Boyd) March 18, 2023
😲 Cantwell with a quick reply!
Four minutes after Motherwell equalise, Rangers get back in front following another VAR check! More goals to come? ⬇️pic.twitter.com/CwD1NXMhrE
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 18, 2023
It is exactly the same issue for both goals and will lead to questions of the system sanctioned and deployed by the SPFL.
VAR fulfils a seriously important role but when it is having such a decisive impact on games, it needs to be right. There can be no room for ambiguity but that is exactly what we have from the game at Fir Park today.
Football Scotland has also taken a closer look at the VAR decisions.
It will be interesting to see, if anything, what follows in the days ahead. The good thing is that the outcome of the game wasn’t truly affected with Rangers having such superiority in the second half. It was one decision, one goal each that has caused the controversy and apart from the usual cranks online with their foolish conspiracy theories, most will see that it is the issue of the VAR interpretation (against the pitch lines) that needs to be met with clarity.