Discussing the demise and demotion of Alan Muir today I was told that ‘there’s two of them’. The other being Greg Aitken.
It was fairly surprising news, I’m not 100% certain about it but equally it isn’t something that can be completely dismissed.
Aitken and Andrew Dallas became the SFA’s first full time VAR officials, taking up their salaried posts in August 2023, ahead of the first full season of VAR following the rushed introduction in October 2022 ahead of the World Cup break.
There has absolutely not been any improvements in VAR under full-time officials. Aitken, Dallas and Muir are equally as capable as anyone else of coming up with decisions that defy the Laws of the Game.
They like to get involved when not required, when some big decisions are required they have been known to be on a comfort break or checking the gossip of their favourite Message Boards.
Aitken has been as bad a VAR official as he was a referee, despite being brought up in Kilmarnock his Facebook profile doesn’t hide where his football loyalties lie, they are not at Celtic Park.
On the first day of this season he refused to alert Don Robertson to Kyogo Furuhashi being wiped out by Kilmarnock’s Robbie McCrorie on the six yard line, with Celtic leading 3-0 at the time little was made of it but it was exactly the type of incident that VAR is in place to pick up on.
Recently Muir was appointed for the Celtic matches against Hearts and Dundee United, it is rare for anyone to be involved in back-to-back matches involving the same club.
On the day that news was leaked that Muir has lost his VAR gig but is retained as a Referee Observer, Aitken was missing from this weekend’s VAR appointments.
Dallas has been given two matches to interfere in with Kevin Clancy, Don Robertson, Nick Walsh and Gavin Duncan the others on VAR duty.
Each of those VAR appointments means that there is one less referee available reaching down the line.
Left with Greg Aitken and one of Dallas’s lair.
Aye thanks for that
— Stephen (@Stephen55767497) April 9, 2025
Aitken’s absence this weekend is at least curious, there is no reason for him to be taking a holiday, there was an international break over March 22 and 23, next weekend there are only two top flight fixtures, the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
To lose one VAR official is unfortunate, to lose two out of three and be left with only Dallas Junior is a serious issue for Collum, getting towards CRISIS stage.
As is usual with the SFA they say nothing, no comment has been made on the demotion of Muir, that announcement was left to Stephen McGowan of The Herald:
Alan Muir’s career as one of Scottish football’s first full-time Video Assistant Referees is over.
A former category one official, Muir was promoted to the specialist VAR role by head of referees Willie Collum.
Following three high-profile errors involving Celtic and Rangers, however, the 49-year-old has now left his post by mutual consent following crisis talks with Collum and VAR manager Martin Atkinson.
Herald Sport understands the Aberdonian will be available to act as a referee observer in future, but will no longer take charge of games from the VAR booth at Clydesdale House after a number of controversial VAR calls drew criticism from both halves of the Old Firm.
On Tuesday the SFA will announce the match officials and VAR for the two semi-finals, on April 22 they’ll announce the same details for the first round of post split SPFL Premiership fixtures.
If Aitken is missing from those fixtures it looks like Collum has a crisis on his hands, one that will require serious activity over the summer and possibly taking on the unthinkable- bringing in no-Scottish VAR officials just like VAR Manager Martin Atkinson.
Concentrating on his career with the Fire Service looks like a far more straightforward option for Aitken, getting out of the football version of the firing line.
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