It’s easy to see legitimate complaint about the painfully woeful standard of officiating buried under the wailing & gnashing of teeth in the press and on social media in Scotland. In the aftermath of poor decisions, Scottish football fans appear caught between conspiracy theories and telling the other sides to suck it up depending on whether or not the call went in their favour. Many pundits – especially the more cerebrally challenged amongst them – do not understand the rules and will simply disagree with decisions because they don’t like them, not because they were wrong.

There are plenty who are automatically set to taking the opposing stance when it comes to decisions surrounding Rangers. This further enflames the furore and ensures the refereeing – not the football – takes centre stage. As the rest of the footballing world persists with VAR – and looks to streamline and improve its operation – Scottish football seems determined to bin the entire thing. Let’s get this right – Motherwell have hinted towards scrapping a technology which fundamentally ensures more decisions are being made correctly. Why? Well, because it appears the referees don’t get 100% of decisions correct, decisions are inconsistent, and fans have to wait for calls to be made. “We are aware from the recent SFA announcement and from interaction with SPFL officials that a full review of VAR is ongoing and we have had input into that process,” reads the statement. “There are many potential consequences of some of these decisions, but we are most concerned that the inconsistency of decision making, regular lengthy VAR interventions during most games and lack of any clarity on why decisions have been made, is having a serious impact on fans’ enjoyment of the game. “The feedback we receive from our own fans on VAR is almost entirely negative and, if given a choice, we believe most would vote to no longer have it in use. It’s actually not easy to find anyone who either participates in football or watches it who is happy with the current position.” Whilst these are legitimate gripes, should we not be positively encouraging the country to improve things rather rather than go back to square one? If memory serves me correctly, referees weren’t exactly popular before VAR either. There is an unspoken near universal agreement that something has to change in Scotland and yet even by the tone of the Motherwell statement we feel an air of unhelpful animosity and frustration. There is a divisiveness to the discussions around referees which fundamentally holds our game back and it is time for change and a more positive and forward-thinking approach. We need to give our referees more support, we need a more unified approach from the football clubs, and we need the professionalisation of the entire department. No doubt we’ll hear wailing about finances – and we wouldn’t surprised if the cost of VAR has these budget clubs pushing for it to be scrapped – but it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.If we can find a collective way to improve the officiating, improve VAR, improve the pitches, and improve the playing style then it’s an investment which will pay dividends somewhere down the line. With statements like that from Motherwell, such a progressive vision for Scottish football feels impossible and as the rest of the world moves forward with VAR, we seem desperate to stay exactly where we are. Welcome to the boggy marshes of football’s most depressing backwater, where injury-inducing challenges, dodgy pitches and budget refereeing is not just embraced, but celebrated. We’re sure you’re going to love it.

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