103 word statement- What are the SFA covering up over VAR call at Motherwell?
With a day and a half to review the incidents at Fir Park on Wednesday night the SFA thought that they could clear everything up with 103 words!
There isn’t a single picture, video clip, audio clip or published dialogue to demonstrate what went on at the Motherwell v Celtic match on Wednesday night.
Faced with a problem during the match someone in the VAR team thought that the random decision by David Dickinson to disallow a ‘goal’ from Jota could be justified by sharing a long distance image as evidence.
Apparently the camera on the 18-yard line didn’t capture an appropriate view, according to The Sun the camera was watching the dug out area with no explanation given.
Motherwell TV offered a £15 PPV stream for the match, their main camera provided a decent view of the moment that Kyogo Furuhashi released the ball but this view wasn’t used to justify the decision.
Instead fans were palmed off with the half-hearted statement below which was effectively a case of mind your own business because we know best.
Referee Operations can confirm that during a VAR review at Motherwell v Celtic, the footage from the relevant 18-yard line camera did not capture an appropriate view of the incident.
While the broadcast footage was only able to show a wider camera angle for viewers, Hawk-Eye technology is designed to calibrate an accurate offside decision from either of the two 18-yard line camera positions, with the subsequent VAR review determining that the Celtic player had received the ball in an offside position.
We have provided feedback to the host broadcaster on the incident as part of our regular review of the system operation.
‘The subsequent VAR review determining that the Celtic player had received the ball in an offside position’ shows a basic lack of knowledge of the rules, the decisive moment is when the ball is passed by Kyogo Furuhashi.
The ball is very much now in Celtic’s court, does Michael Nicholson accept the statement as an adequate explanation or does he take on the open goal to take the SFA to task. From Ian Maxwell and Crawford Allan down to the Communication Team behind that statement?
Should Celtic publish the reply from the SFA over the Jota VAR decision?
Does Nicholson take up the brutal attack on Carl Starfelt? Does he ask for the evidence on the Abada ‘offside’ incident at Tynecastle.
Or does the Celtic CEO sit back, congratulate himself on a job well done while the same people in the employment of the SFA go out of their way to damage Celtic with VAR the perfect levelling up took to handicap Ange Postecoglou’s squad?
If Nicholson backs off like Peter Lawwell did over every issue it will give the SFA free reign to do whatever they like with VAR decisions.
Fortunately Starfelt is available to face Ross County tomorrow rather than facing months out with a badly broken leg.