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VAR in Scottish Football?


This blog post concerns a topic very close to my heart and one that has been part of my life since I can remember; Scottish football. I have, along with my old man, supported Kilmarnock FC and been a season ticket holder since I was a wee guy! (4 years old). I have travelled across the country and have experienced every emotion under the sun (and snow) supporting Kilmarnock. From beating Celtic in the final of the 2012 league cup, qualifying for Europe under Steve Clarke and heartbreakingly, only last season, being relegated to the dreaded championship (2nd tier of Scottish football).

So, as you can probably guess, I will be giving my humble opinion on the effects that VAR will have on Scottish football and whether or not it will improve the beautiful game over here - as it seems only inevitable that it will be introduced in the coming years.

The reason Scottish football has not introduced VAR already is that the Scottish FA simply couldn't afford it. I feel this came as a blessing in disguise as it has allowed a few seasons to pass and the VAR technology to advance and be fine-tuned. I can only imagine the disaster that would have occurred if Scottish football had VAR in the initial stages, when the uncertainty and controversy was at its highest. However, I feel these initial fears have dampened it could be the right time to look to introduce VAR in Scotland, certainly in the top flight.

That being said, the devil is in the detail and as discussed in my first blog (Cons of VAR), Scottish football can not afford to fall into the trap of having games where decisions are taking several minutes to make on whether a player is millimetres ahead of computer-generated imagery. This will kill the very thing that makes Scottish football so attractive, the passion.

If the Scottish FA can implement the VAR technology successfully, then they can look to expand the reach and appeal of Scottish football and bring in more custom. This will ultimately improve the game and generate more money to be invested back into the game through youth academies across the country.

So, after all that rumble I can say that I believe VAR could bring more positive benefits to Scottish football than negatives and represent a sense of progress and investment into our game.





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