Last Saturday Michael Stewart was calling out the errors in the flawed use of VAR that disallowed a ‘goal’ from Marcus Fraser against Hibs.
It was the main talking point from the match. Hibs went on win 3-0 but something didn’t quite add up about the offside call.
Stewart called it out. He claimed that the officials had used two different frames to come to their conclusion. Andrew Dallas was the VAR official on duty for that match, as he had been a week earlier to disallow an own goal from Nicky Raskin at Hampden.
BACKGROUND
On Tuesday Stewart appeared on The Social Club with Darrell Currie on Premier Sports and apologised for saying that two different images had been used.
Ian Maxwell of the SFA had contacted him to explain what had happened. Of course the SFA wouldn’t use two different frames to justify the decision that Dallas made.
On Twitter yesterday Stewart returned. On a dark night in Paisley using blue and red lines on a green pitch isn’t the easiest to decipher. Especially with home-made, manual lines. Made by Dallas.
MOVING LINES
Yesterday Stewart realised that it wasn’t the frames that had changed- it was the lines!
As many have suspected the manual system is open to manipulation. You can use the lines that you want to achieve a set outcome.
At Hampden Dallas and Steven McLean appeared to have used a frame where the ball hadn’t left Ben Nygren’s boot to show Daizen Maeda as being offside. One or two frames on and Maeda could have been onside.
What on earth is going on??
This is a shambles. https://t.co/GWJzaY8tef— Darrell Currie (@darrellcurrietv) November 15, 2025
Ok so a lot of people not seeing the red line moving. Here you can see clearly between the players legs it’s not in the same position. pic.twitter.com/plHbzXmkCx
— Michael Stewart (@mstewart_23) November 15, 2025
The Sun reported Stewart saying:
This is a system that depends on complete accuracy.
This has been shown that there was a mistake made, and secondly, we have been questioning what frame do you use?
I don’t think the system is accurate enough to be able to depend and make calls of such miniscule detail.
What we have seen here is there has been human error in where they drew the first line. The second one has been used on a different frame.
I think it is too close to call on so many decisions on a system I am not sure is being used the way it should be.
If it is like that and you’re making big calls and goals are being disallowed, I don’t think it should continue.
There’s a mistake been made there and they are trying to cover it up and I think that shows the system is flawed,
On Friday’s VAR Review with Gordon Duncan, Willie Collum went into great detail to explain that different lines had been used. The wrong lines initially.
Collum wouldn’t go near the lines used to disallow Raskin’s own goal at Hampden. Perhaps the wrong lines had been used? Perhaps the wrong frame had been used?
Celtic haven’t made any comment on the multiple refereeing issues from the semi-final victory.
NOTE: UEFA uses automatic 3D imagery with one white line to decide on offside calls. Not manual blue and red lines.
The red line has moved further up his leg. The first image the line is on the top of the sock and the second image isn’t higher
— Michael Stewart (@mstewart_23) November 15, 2025
That undermines the whole system then. You can’t have different frames to analyse the same incident. Plus SFA confirmed it’s exactly the same frame
— Michael Stewart (@mstewart_23) November 15, 2025
It does appear to move a little bit. Assuming they had to re draw both lines after they noticed their mistake, its very difficult to pick the exact same pixel twice. I actually think the line in the second image is the most accurate based on the ball position. pic.twitter.com/Rk9jeOkcDd
— Dale ?????????????? (@_DaleBuchanan) November 15, 2025
Can’t remember Meade line getting this much scrutiny ? and that one was taken before the ball was played to him
— John McCabe (@JohnMcCabe28) November 15, 2025
Very clear to see it has moved but would still be ahead of the blue line, everyone in Scottish football knows VAR decides if they want the goal or offside, our technology is brutal, a Nokia 3310 in modern times but overall humans still decide
— JungleJim1980 (@Maeda38CFC) November 15, 2025
Given the crude technology, close calls such as these should never be used to overrule the decision on the pitch. Just defer to the referee absent “clear and convincing” evidence. This certainly ain’t that.
— Wide Right (@Dannybhoy59) November 15, 2025
Wish Maeda’s got this scrutiny
— Damian Docherty (@DamianDocherty) November 15, 2025
As each week passes, the Sevco friendly MiB’s are having their “game influencing” stripped away from them.
Pre VAR, they were the law, post VAR they can still manipulate the lines but if we continue to highlight their inconsistency using Etchasketch technology, this too will eventually be taken from them.
All that will be left will be the “ Don Robertson book of dark arts”, on how to change a game without actually looking as though u are.
There is an unseen hand at work right through Scottish football but it certainly ain’t fenian.
I have no idea why Celtic do not insist on better VAR like we see week in week out everywhere else, ffs, SKY can replay a scene in seconds better than out lot can on VAR.
Even if it cost Celtic more than every other club to have it, the club and fans should have no issues, it would eradicate these bastards from manipulating one of the last tools they can use to cheat.
Curiouser and Curiouser!
Media pundits know better than to question Maeda’s… It’s their meal ticket after all. They gladly do it by proxy when a version of the Ibrox action man’s heads are not involved though
Cheatin’ Cheaters!
That they use red and blue lines against the white pitch lines tells you all you need to know…
RED – WHITE – BLUE
They’re trolling us and everyone else as well…
Cheats with monitors then…
Cheats with monitors now…
Cheats with monitors forever !
The SFA continues to blatantly display in public,
its inherent incompetence and/or [alleged] corruption?
An organisation which is wholly unfit to manage or develop the Scottish game,
or to receive public (i.e. taxpayers’) monies! 🙁
I will ask the question again ! Why do they use 2 lines to make a decision ? Is it like the policy of the daily Record…to send two scoops to each theRangers game when one is ample enough to do the job …keeping each other company in all kinds of weather ?