Danny Stewart: It may not be cheap, but Scotland can’t afford not to bring in VAR now

Scottish football continues to debate the escalating cost of introducing VAR into our football landscape.

The situation now, frankly, is we can’t afford not to have it.

No Sportscene highlights programme, and no live broadcast on satellite channels, goes by these days without every contentious refereeing decision being put under the slo-mo microscope.

Too often, it shows that the official got it wrong, sometimes more wrong than others.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, come Monday mornings, former referee Dermot Gallagher is on Sky’s Football Show to underline their failings.

Anyone who watched the BBC highlights programmes last weekend was given a stark reminder of the difference between football’s haves and have-nots – and that VAR is not infallible.

On Sportscene, James McFadden reacted with creditable honesty when being landed with the show’s equivalent of “a hospital ball”.

Asked to assess one of two Alfredo Morelos goals-that-never-were in Rangers’ 2-2 draw with Motherwell, he called it just as he saw it.

He then admitted that, because we do not have VAR, we were unable to tell for sure.

On Match Of The Day, meanwhile, another two former strikers of distinction, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker, fumed that, despite the technology being in place in their game, a glaringly-incorrect decision at Rodri of Manchester City’s handball against Everton had been cleared by the system.

The Toffees were denied a penalty and lost the game 1-0.

© PA

Shearer lambasted it as “a ridiculous decision”, while Richard Keys – once of Sky Sports, now with beIN – labelled it “a disgrace”.

Watching at a distance bisected by Hadrian’s Wall, it was hard not to see their complaints as a footballing equivalent of First World problems.

It was one of a slew of poor judgments from a set-up trailed as being close to infallible, but which obviously isn’t.

To be fair to the technology, the problem lies with its implementation – or to put it another way, the humans using the camera footage.

The effect of an official sitting in a studio – and failing to see a handball on video review from all manner of angles – is precisely the same as a referee missing a significant incident on the pitch, with just one look at it.

But if VAR misses it, it’s as if it never happened.

Where it is really useful – and the main reason Scotland needs to introduce it as soon as possible – is that is fantastic in dealing with quantifiable issues.

At Euro 2020, UEFA reported that there were 30 tight offside incidents, with nine requiring VAR reviews. There was 100% accuracy in the decisions taken.

Effectively, that means when VAR is in place, offside is no longer an issue.

So, in an environment in which livelihoods and careers can hinge on one moment – not to mention the Old Firm nip-and-tuck in pursuit of the Premiership title – it is incumbent on our game to seize any improvement out there.

Here's a first look at how VAR will be used as we move closer to seeing the technology introduced in Scotland! 👇 pic.twitter.com/RQ0iNy4UQz

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) March 2, 2022

The SFA’s Head of Refereeing Operations, Crawford Allan, is a fan of VAR, and backs its introduction in Scotland’s top flight.

With its use becoming more and more widespread throughout the football world, it is clear it is coming. The question is not if, but when.

A vote is scheduled next month, with efforts being made to get all clubs behind an introduction by the end of the year if not before.

That is not the given it might seem.

It is estimated the cost for each club is likely to hit near six figures, a big enough number to give those who have to balance the budgets pause for thought.

The key to the persuasion is clearly much the same as the co-owner of a property in need of some essential maintenance – do not think of it as just another bill to be paid, but as an investment.

An investment in your club, and in the game as a whole.

One that will help enhance the reputation of Scottish football to players, managers, fans and officials all over the world.

One that will give all those involved here confidence in the set-up to deliver results that are fair.

And one that, if not taken, will see the game fall behind its peers.

That VAR will come too late for this season – and what is set to be one of the thrilling title finishes – is a shame. No one would want to see the destination of the Premiership hinge on a disputed decision.

But it should not prevent clubs from trying to get it brought in as quickly as possible.

Hopefully, this time next year, the incidents we are arguing over will be the exceptions to the rule, rather than the far-from-silent majority we see just now.

As England’s example shows, it will not be perfect. But it will be better and, right now, that is a change worth striving for.