Crawford Allan QUITS as Scottish FA announce summer VAR shake-up

Crawford Allan has quit as Scottish FA head of referees, and will step down in the summer after four years in the job.

The Scottish FA confirmed the decision in a statement this morning, saying Allan, 56, was leaving to “pursue other opportunities” and that it coincides “with a planned review of the operational priorities of the department”, following feedback from category one match officials and VAR operators.

But the announcement comes after a season that has been dogged by controversy, with a further two VAR flash points in Motherwell’s 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen at the weekend.

A Lennon Miller strike was disallowed due to a handball that appeared to strike the upper arm of Theo Bair, while at the other end Motherwell were denied a penalty for a similar incident involving Graeme Shinnie.

Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “Firstly, I would like to thank Crawford for his four years as head of referee operations, and especially his efforts in implementing VAR within Scottish football and guiding refereeing through the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In many ways, overseeing the introduction of VAR has been a thankless task. Yet it has been essential for Sottish football to remain at the forefront of on-field technology and in-step with the leading domestic competitions across Europe, as well as ensuring our match officials and VAR operators can continue to operate at FIFA and UEFA level.

“Crawford has been integral to that process – from feasibility, to training, to roll-out – for much of his tenure, and we are grateful that he will remain in place and provide continuity until the end of the season.

“Whilst there is a recognition that, globally, the VAR processes need to improve, this is a challenge for all key stakeholders