Ex-Fifa official: Celtic and Rangers told to ‘avoid real mess’ amid ‘dangerous’ claim
It is “dangerous” to assume VAR will work perfectly for Celtic, Rangers and the rest of the Scottish Premiership this weekend, according to Keith Hackett.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee insisted Scotland must learn the lessons from England where VAR is a “real mess”.
Initially, the technology was set to be introduced after the World Cup but that has been brought forward to the round of games beginning on 21 October.
Celtic travel to Hearts on Saturday (22 October) for the first televised game to use VAR while Rangers host Livingston on the same day.
Both clubs have experience with the technology in Europe, including the Champions League this term.
“One of the things is the Scottish FA are usually very thorough,” Hackett told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“They’ve got a smaller group of referees at the highest level. Therefore, although it’s a dangerous assumption, one hopes there has been real training because they’ve been running it behind the scenes.
“What they’ve got to avoid is getting in the real mess that the Premier League has got itself into.
“Communication to the fans and the key stakeholders in the game is important. I would like to see a review process.
“It needs effective management. When a decision is made and there is doubt about the outcome and people are saying, ‘Why was it seen as a clear and obvious error?’ That should be used for real training.
“Also, are they going to bring in a full-time panel of VAR people?
“The one thing I am certain of is that we will be talking about VAR decisions in Scotland.”
In other news, Celtic are set for a “big money” Liel Abada offer amid an “incredible” claim.