We can’t let VAR be only for elite few

THE good news? As of next season, Scottish football clubs will be playing in games where the use of Video Assistant Referees should — hopefully — minimise the chance of them being victims of a dodgy call. The bad news? Exposure to this enlightened world of replays and reinterpretation will only be offered to an elite few, in certain circumstances. News that UEFA intend to introduce VAR to both the Champions League and Europa League in the 2019-20 season comes amid clamouring demand for the SPFL to invest the necessary cash to give our flagship domestic competition the same status as the Carabao Cup. As things stand, we could face the ludicrous situation of a Scottish team playing a home European tie with VAR in midweek, then having to switch off or pack up the system for a league fixture at the weekend. What does that say about how seriously the Scottish Premiership deserves to be taken? Nobody, least of all referees, argues that VAR is perfect. It’s not meant to be. But Scottish refs would welcome its introduction with sighs of relief. Senior figures at leading SPFL clubs are beginning to ask the right questions. Sitting back and waiting to see how other competitions fare with VAR shouldn’t be seen as the canny option. Officials will continue to be confronted with incidents requiring split-second decisions in crowded penalty areas. The evidence we see every week at home, should prove conclusive. As long as the retired refs currently sitting in such poor judgment on all those red-card cases aren’t allowed into the control booth, VAR couldn’t hurt.