VAR in Scotland: We could not afford to be left behind - referee standards, Euro snubs but no panacea

When the International Football Association Board (IFAB), of which Scotland is a founder member, adopted VAR into the Laws of the Game on a permanent basis at their agm in March 2018, it was hailed as an ‘historic step for greater fairness in football’.

Four years later, the country which gave the modern game to the rest of the world has given the green light to catching up with the 26 other UEFA member associations who have implemented the technology in their top flight leagues.

The main reason Scotland has trailed behind nations such as Kosovo, Cyprus, Israel and Bulgaria in embracing VAR is, of course, finance. Now the estimated annual cost of £1.2 million will be met on a sliding scale by the Scottish Premiership clubs, deducted from the prize money they receive for their finishing positions in the league table, after a vote of all 42 SPFL clubs on Tuesday returned an emphatic majority in favour.

Leading managers of Scottish clubs have been consistently banging the drum for VAR and their enthusiasm for it is shared by the match officials who are so often the target of their frustrations on a weekly basis.

The benefits of VAR are obvious and must be widely welcomed. Glaringly obvious errors, such as goals which should or shouldn’t be ruled out for offside, can be largely eliminated. For referees, the opportunity to review other on-field decisions relating to penalty kick awards or red card offences provides the best possible environment for them to get the big calls right.

For the future development of Scottish referees, who have increasingly found themselves out in the cold when it comes to being appointed to major European matches and international tournaments because they do not work with VAR on a weekly basis, it