Andy Walker has let the cat out the bag by openly discussing the off-camera comments made with VAR officials.
The SFA has applied their usual vale of secrecy to the use of VAR with no comments or explanations about how decisions are taken.
Handball in the penalty box is almost a weekly controversy while concerns have been raised by fans about the thick lines used to decide on offside which the SFA claim is produced by Hawkeye.
This season SPFL leaders Celtic have had seven penalties awarded against them since VAR was introduced, conversely the Ibrox Tribute Act are on a world record breaking run of 48 top flight matches without conceding a penalty in the SPFL.
Walker was appearing on a podcast when he revealed the detail of the discussion that goes on out of earshot of Sky Sports viewers.
Listening to Walker, the Daily Record reports:
The pundit is able to listen to talks in the VAR room while working for Sky, and has offered an insight into some of the chat he has picked up from the VAR room while regularly covering Rangers and Celtic clashes. Speaking to NewsSlotsKlosh , Walker said: “Working with Sky I have the option of listening to VAR. To be absolutely clear I hear the video assistant referee – not the referee on the pitch.
“I have a concern. I won’t mention any names and I won’t name the teams involved but there was an instance where a couple of things happened in the space of a second or two. And I heard the VAR say ‘the easiest way out of this, is if it’s offside’.
“That to me is really poor language. There should be no idea that we get an easy way out. You have to look at what’s happening on the pitch and apply the laws of the game – don’t look for the easy way out.
“That’s not good enough. It’s awful. I couldn’t believe what I was listening to. I’m not going to mention any names and I’m not going to mention the game. But that kind of language makes me feel that the people operating VAR are obviously not feeling the atmosphere because they are not at the ground.
“Referees now have this safety net ‘it doesn’t matter what I say or do’ someone else will tell me if I’ve got it right or I’ve got it wrong and that example I have given? That can’t be right.”
Walker was co-commentator for Motherwell’s recent defeat to Micky Beale’s side with Stuart Kettlewell doubting the offside decision to award his opponents the goal that put his opponents 3-2 in front. Andrew Dallas was the VAR for that match.
On Saturday Walker is expected to be part of the Sky Sports team covering the Glasgow Derby which will be refereed by Kevin Clancy with Nick Walsh on VAR duties.
? LISTEN: “It looks like Sakala is offside from the lines”.
? Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell says he is looking for clarity over Rangers’ third goal as he believes the VAR lines show Fashion Sakala was offside. pic.twitter.com/ObavmDvDnv
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) March 18, 2023
So saving his own skin here by keeping his mouth shut for the sake of earning a coin,when he should be calling this out.
I thought the VAR team were somewhere else and not at the game?
Clydesdale House. So is Andy talking pish?