By Arran Munro

The Virtual Assistant Referee was a revolutionary invention, welcomed by many football fans all over the world to try and put an end to refereeing mistakes that occurred far too often. It all began in 2010 with the Royal Netherlands Football Association, as it sought to introduce a more accurate form of refereeing decision making for on field play.

It was briefly tested in 2013 in the Netherlands before being introduced onto the big stage at the 2018 World cup, where it was widely perceived as a positive addition to the game, creating worldwide interest among football fans in hope that their league association would introduce it.

It wasn't until 2019, where the world's top league, the premier league successfully transitioned to using it, then followed the Scottish Premiership a few years later. The 21st of October 2022 was a very memorable date for many SPFL fans, where Hibernian hosted St Johnstone to a sold-out crowd and their biggest attendance at Easter Road in 33 years to see the first use VAR.

The big screen showing VAR decision (Mark Scates via Gettyimages)

However, this optimistic notion did not continue as by the end of that season, many fans had complained about the new system, faulting the time taken to make decisions and the overall unprofessional nature of it all.

Fans looked to their southern neighbour’s to compare their version of virtual refereeing where there seemed to be obvious differences and inaccuracies that wasn't found in their game. So, is it all down to funding?

It's no secret that the Premier league is a vastly superior league in terms of money, with high funding and prize pots for winners, being a far larger country in terms of population. However, countries with a similar population size such as Serbia, in which VAR was introduced at a similar time has very minimal complaints about their use of VAR.

The Scottish football league is one of the oldest in the world and continues to fail to keep up with the changes of the modern game and doesn't promote a very good advert for Scottish football in general.

The VAR Problem in Scotland has gotten so bad that the Scottish Football association (SFA) have started issuing a monthly VAR review, highlighting all their failures and correct decisions, which only continues to stir anger among many fans as they don't seem to fix their issues and only addresses them.

Referee John Beaton giving decision (Craig Wiliamson-SNS Group via Gettyimages)

Last season was a disaster for VAR, with a comprehensive list being created to highlight each team's incorrect decisions against and for them. St Mirren topped the list with 4 incorrect decisions against them and 0 for them. Most notably, Rangers had 7 incorrect decisions with 5 negative decisions that have stirred mass controversy, especially in the biggest game of the season.

The Rivalry between Rangers and Celtic is the biggest game of the season for many and always sparks controversy. Throwing VAR into the mix created a far more hostile atmosphere and left many fans on both sides of the city furious, creating a season defining moment for both teams.

One instance that tops the list for incorrect decisions was the first meeting of Rangers and Celtic of the season, denying a goal from Cyriel Dessers to go 1-0 up, which could have changed the entire dynamic of the game. Rangers went on to lose the game 1-0 with the club further appealing the decision.

VAR has changed the game in Scotland for the worse according to the vast majority. Many fan groups have also begun protesting VAR and calling for its immediate termination from the SPFL. The Aberdeen ultras are among the many calling for this, as a shared view of an anti-modern football sentiment is shared widely across the country.

Fans asking for VAR to be shown a red card