Premiership will soon have VAR, predicts Well chief

Video assistant referees will soon arrive in the Scottish top flight, Motherwell chief executive Alan Burrows has predicted.

The Scottish Professional Football League has no plans to introduce video assisted referees (VAR) but is monitoring their use elsewhere.

Aberdeen called for the introduction of VAR on Friday after being frustrated by a failed appeal over Michael Devlin’s recent red card against Kilmarnock.

And Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson called for referees to get additional help after absolving Bobby Madden of any blame for an incident which led to Hearts’ winner at Fir Park and a serious-looking injury for goalkeeper Trevor Carson.

Robinson felt Uche Ikpeazu’s challenge on Carson was a normal 50-50 at the time but insisted the goal would not have stood if Madden had the benefit of an instant replay.

And SPFL board member Burrows believes the Ladbrokes Premiership already has the bulk of the technology available to introduce VAR.

“So, so difficult to spot the foul that led to the goal,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Given we now have a sat (satellite) truck, a minimum four cameras and the game being edited as we go, at all top league games, VAR can’t be far away.

“It’s been used in the MLS very successfully for the past two seasons. It’s not overly interrupted the flow of the game, they do it very well, and there’s not much in the way of controversy (and they get most of the big calls – red cards, goals and pens – correct).”

Meanwhile, Six Carabao Cup third-round fixtures are to be officiated with the use of VAR.

The games between Manchester United and Derby, Wolves and Leicester, Arsenal and Brentford, West Ham and Macclesfield, Liverpool and Chelsea and Everton and Southampton, from September 25 to October 2, will see the system in operation.

The English Football League, which oversees the competition, continues to stress that the experiment is designed to “focus on clear and obvious errors”.

In April, Premier League clubs voted against its introduction throughout their competition, despite its widespread use at the summer’s World Cup.

It will instead continue to be trialled in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.