Celtic fans were again questioning the competence of match officials despite the 5-1 victory over Kilmarnock taking them to the brink of the SPFL Premiership title.
During the week news leaked out that Alan Muir had been taken off VAR duty although the SFA haven’t confirmed that news.
Muir appears to have paid the price for fabricating evidence that the ball was out of play before Daizen Maeda netted against Hibs. Celtic lost the match 2-2.
Leading 4-1 at home to Kilmarnock Celtic were denied a fifth goal due to a VAR decision, the evidence presented to Sky Sports viewers was far from conclusive.
Image 1: Make of this what you wish.
Image 2: Look at the line compared to the 18 yard line
Image 3: Following the 18 yard line as reference pic.twitter.com/WrvzIgCyMw
— ? IGC????? ? (@CelticIg) April 12, 2025
Daizen Maeda again netted following a quick move down the right that started with a run from Adam Idah.
The first image above shows some dubious lines, they are certainly not parallel, the line from Idah is slightly tilted towards the 18 yard line, the last Kilmarnock player has his line tilted away from the 18 yard line.
The Scottish version of VAR is manually operated, yesterday Gavin Duncan and Gary Hilland were twiddling the knobs to obtain the desired result.
Football matches are often decided by fine margins.
A non-automated system for offside decisions is a waste of time. It becomes subjective when the ball is played while the lines above are simply unsatisfactory to be diplomatic about it.
Already this season Celtic had a ‘goal’ from Kyogo Furuhashi in the September Glasgow Derby disallowed on the same basis, in October an own goal from Tom Sparrow was also disallowed by manually operated VAR lines.
Michael Nicholson believes that a 25 minute VAR Review involving Willie Collum provides transparency into VAR decisions.
Under Collum refereeing standards and the use of VAR is worse than ever, presenting himself as a great guy to the media doesn’t make up for the horrendous decisions being made every week.
Steven McLean will referee today’s match at Pittodrie with Andrew Dallas on VAR duties.
There is so much room for error by manually placing the lines. On a similar point they freeze the frame manually also. Check where the ball is. It has already been struck and moving forward meaning in that time n that stopped frame, Idah could easily move 2 inches forward
— Firhill (@Firhill40) April 12, 2025
They have moved the lines again…..why…to what ends.
?— Neil (NEERU)????????? (@mcfadzean_neil) April 12, 2025
— Sweetie (@Sweetie44444) April 12, 2025
That’s a piece of nonsense and said it numerous times. He’s not even near the red drawn line and the Killie player behind is playing him onside……made up lines by VaR.
— CMac (@CMack659) April 12, 2025
Corrupt
— Slimshady (@Slimshady1961) April 12, 2025
It’s amateur at best.
— ? ??????? (@J0ebh0y08) April 12, 2025
Inner shoulder v outer shoulder? VAR lines and Specsavers as sponsors…
— Alfa6409 (@Alfa6409) April 12, 2025
Check what I said on my match report post yesterday…An exclusive for Video Celts…’Mon the Sheep.
The man who publicly defended Alan Muir the previous day benefits from this garbage,then post match openly tells us he changed tactics because goal difference could be really important? Now THAT’S transparency.
You know what may help these decisions. If there’s 10yrd markers on the shy line,not unlike American football but not across the pitch. Then you have a perfect reference point across the pitch every time.
Editor: UEFA use an automated system, the 18 yard line is perfect. The problem is having members of the Lanarkshire Referee Association manipulating results to advance their career.
In the good old days the attacker was supposedly given the benefit of the doubt – that should be reinstated. And while I’m still generally in favour of VAR, the Poundsaver version we have in Scotland allows for subjectivity, and dodgy etch-a-sketch doodles. Someone should explain parallax error to the the men in black.
Thos is what happens when you shop at poundland for the VAR equipment.
Hi Joe
While the Premier League down south moves to the semi-automatic version of VAR for offside related incidents, we in Scotlands poor cousin Premiership we continue with our Poundland Etch-a-Sketch version.
In the interests of reducing errors and mistakes, honest or otherwise and increasing accuracy, improving timelines and consistency of outcomes it would be good to know the cost in pounds sterling of obtaining a fit for purpose VAR system for our national game.
Editor: All clubs, most certainly including our own agreed to this cheap set up which hands judgement of critical decisions to people like Muir, Dallas, Beaton, Roberson, McLean and Walsh, these guys still massively influence matches often decided by small margins.
You don’t even need the lines. You can see with the naked eye that it’s onside in that still. Funny how neither “Tommo” or “Naisy” provided any of their expert analysis of it on Sportscene though. Or even mentioned it. I’m sure we’ll hear the usual “You’d won the game/title by the anyway, why are you moaning?”. But there are two issues there:
1) This type of cheating has cost us points this season and last – and, in fact, even since VAR was introduced – often at times when it did actually matter. VAR just seems to give the Lanarkshire loyal yet another means to cheat us (like they needed one!), rather than improving anything.
2) If we had won the game/title by then anyway and it didn’t really matter if the goal stood or not, why do these petty, hate-filled little Hun pricks at the monitors still feel the need to go through contortions to find ways of denying us legitimate goals?
Hopefully Celtic will keep pursuing these clear attempts to cheat us at every turn, whether they make a difference to the outcome or not. I won’t hold my breath waiting though.
Dunno bout anyone else but its plain to see the main image line does not match the 2 zoomed in pics, its the zoomed in pics that looked manupulated….just saying
It’s not just VAR – it’s the whole Scottish Refereeing / SFA oversight which is now (even more) unfit for purpose.
Collum, the new Head of Refereeing appointed Muir to VAR less than a year ago.
Muir appeared to be ‘suspended’ before being shifted to a non-match officiating role.
During all the raging, public controversy – and since Muir’s removal –
neither Collum nor the SFA have explained their actions, and decision to retain Muir in another capacity.
Collum already looks hopelessly conflicted, incompetent – and weak?
Cheats with monitors then – Cheats with monitors now – Cheats with monitors forever – !