SPFL vote on VAR date is set - with clubs to have say on Christmas introduction

VAR could be introduced to the cinch Premiership by Christmas if the majority of Scottish football clubs back the introduction of video assistant referees.

All 42 teams in the Scottish Professional Football League will be asked to vote on introducing the system to the top flight when clubs gather for the league’s annual meeting later this month.

Referees have already trialled the software and received advanced training in the system through special sessions at Hampden, and if the move gets the green-light from the SPFL AGM, they will put theory into practice after the domestic break for the World Cup in Qatar.

A resolution has been circulated to every club in the senior league ladder which requires a 75 per cent approval rate. That means nine of the 12 current Premiership clubs, who would be directly affected by the new governance system, have to be in favour. In addition, eight Championship votes and 15 of the 20 clubs in the bottom two SPFL divisions will need to say yes to proceed with the proposal.

Cost projections and technical information will be circulated to clubs in advance of the vote. Reports last month suggested initial estimates of a £60,000 outlay per team could almost double to have a pitchside camera system placed in the 12 top-flight stadiums. It is understood that while all the clubs outside of the top flight will be asked to vote, the Championship and Leagues One and Two would not be given VAR, while correspondence on how it would be used in the Premier Sports and Scottish Cup has yet to be issued.

A VAR system has been in place in England since the start of season 2019/20 and Scotland is one of few leagues in Europe where it is not utilised, though Scottish clubs competing in Europe have been subject