Willie Collum reveals VAR mics for Scottish refs could be inbound with match going punters set to be looped in

Willie Collum has revealed Scottish referees could soon be mic’d up to explain VAR decisions to supporters at Premiership fixtures.

New SFA head of refereeing Collum is determined to improve communication with frustrated fans as well as driving up the standards of match officials on his watch. The 45-year-old insists he would welcome the opportunity for refs to speak directly to the crowd during matches.

“We’ve had some discussions with Hawk-Eye this week about the possibilities,” said Collum. “It’s being trialled at the Olympics right now and has previously been trialled at the Club World Cup and Women’s World Cup. The referee will go to the monitor and make a public announcement. I think it’s coming. Without doubt, that will come in football. We are ready to embrace that here. It would require training for our match officials. But if the clubs want it and the finances are there, we certainly won’t put any obstacles in the way of it.

“We would also like to move in principle, although not categorically, to explaining decisions to the public on a monthly basis. We would do it through our own media channels at the SFA, showing clips of incidents.

“I’ve got the backing of referees to show good, bad and indifferent. We won’t just show you 10 good clips and say ‘everything’s okay’. But sometimes it’s also good to show clips that people wouldn’t recognise as contentious but so they can understand the decision-making behind it.

“It’s an opportunity for us to explain why a particular decision has been made. It’s not always as simple as it being right or wrong. It’s how the referee or the VAR team have come to a conclusion about a particular decision.

“I want to be open and transparent about that. It’s something I will drive