Celtic sit nine points clear at the top of the table in the Scottish Premiership and are also in the final of the League Cup. That is commendable, especially when you consider how many decisions have gone against Ange Postecoglou’s side in the ongoing campaign, even after the introduction of VAR in the country.
The hope was that VAR would end up cancelling out most of the wrong decisions that referees end up making during the match and as a result, the focus after games can be on the football rather than the officiating.
Somehow though, the introduction of VAR seems to have had the opposite effect and there has never been more of a focus on the refereeing in Scotland, than there is now.
Celtic unfortunately, have come out on the wrong end of decisions more often than not, with some good enough to leave fans scratching their heads. Whether it be Connor Goldson’s handball in the Glasgow Derby or the Jota goal that was cancelled out by VAR taking a look from a camera angle from the other end of the pitch a few months back.
Celtic boss Postecoglou laughs at VAR question
As reported by the Daily Record, Postecoglou burst into laughter when asked in his most recent press conference if he feels VAR has improved the game, and the Celtic manager said:
"“You must have missed my last four press conferences. My view hasn’t really changed, I’ve already made people aware of my concerns early on and I haven’t really addressed it too much since.“It’s all on the record. We move on.”"
It is safe to say that Postecoglou has always questioned the system of VAR and what effect it can have on the flow and momentum of a match.
But it is safe to say that those are not the only things that VAR is effecting now. In fact, some of the decisions are having an impact on results of games altogether, and it is not just about Celtic or the Rangers.
Teams across the Premiership are feeling its effect and it might very well be time to take a look at the system.