SACK COLLUM NOW- One VAR mistake too far is exposed

Willie Collum, the SFA and their pound-land VAR need binned. Sacked. Sacked in the morning at the latest but definitely sacked.

After introduction in October 2022 fans were told to be patience as the new technology beds into the Scottish game. More that four years after VAR came into use in the EPL.

Ahead of the introduction of VAR Ian Maxwell anticipated what was ahead:

Everyone I speak to at Uefa tells me the first three months are horrendous. You can have your driving instructor sitting beside you for as long as you want. But your first time out on the motorway is a whole different ball game.

Like most things the CEO of the SFA only told part of the truth. More than three years later VAR is a joke.

It provides more officials with the chance to influence matches.

WILLIE COLLUM BUILDS HIS CONFLICTED EMPIRE

Such as Grant Irvine and Ross Hardie. Two emerging stars in Collum’s little empire, both members of the Glasgow Refereeing Association. Neither are fans of Celtic. Irvine shares the same workplace as Nick Walsh. Working on the education and fitness of Murray Park starlets at Boclair Acedmy in Bearsden.

The non-award of a penalty for the fouling of Liam Scales against Hibs has to be the tipping point for VAR.

Bigger than last season’s Alan Muir scandal when he gave a factual over-turn to disallow a ‘goal’ from Daizen Maeda despite having no evidence for the decision.

This time the officials had all of the evidence to award Celtic a penalty. They reviewed it clearly then were over-ruled by a voice saying ‘Not Enough for Me’.

And with that there was no Celtic penalty.

Irvine and Hardy suddenly decided that there wasn’t enough.

And worse of all Collum is going along with it.

He seems to think that his monthly VAR Review is some sort of confessional. He admits all of the sins of his referees, is forgiven then they all go out the door and carry on as if nothing had happened. Repeating their errors every week.

The VAR Review is a pointless exercise in trolling players, fans and managers. The professionals are losing points and bonus payments. Fans are watching a game where the expensive technology is being disregarded for a voice in the corner claiming ‘Not for me’.

No explanation of that voice, the reasoning or the u-turn by Irvine and Hardie is offered.

Fortunately the SFA know that since July 2012 Celtic have been muted and will never challenge the weekly refereeing outrages that they are up against. All for two home Derby matches a season and a Scottish game that is manufactured to be competitive.

NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE

The VAR Review with Gordon Duncan is a box-ticking exercise.

Aimed at promoting Collum as the honest broker. Collum loves self promotion as has plenty of friendly media outlets for his craving.

To begin with in September 2024 the VAR Review was an eye-opener.

For the first time ever Scottish football fans were told that mistakes were made. They were shown video in slow-motion backed up by audio.

It was refreshing, a breakthrough.

And then it just got tedious. Repetitive.

VAR REVIEW THROLLS SCOTTISH FANS

The same names constantly making mistakes. Nick Walsh, John Beaton, Don Robertson, month after month Collum is apologising. Then appointing them all again, staying on board the lucrative refereeing circuit.

Only Muir last season has been ‘sacked’. No one knows what happened post Easter Road and the Maeda ‘goal’ but he hasn’t been on VAR duty since.

Muir has apparently been pushed aside into a training role with the SFA.

The VAR ‘mistakes’ are continuing. Trained and well paid officials are making mistakes without any consequences.

Since Collum won’t change it it must be time to change Collum.

Get another worldwide recruitment operation underway with the only criteria being that the successful candidate isn’t under the wing of Hugh Dallas at the Lanarkshire Refereeing Association.

NOTE 1: No explanation was given to clarify the use of the VAR lines used to disallow the ‘goal’ from Daizen Maeda in the March 8 Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox.

NOTE 2: Don’t be fooled by Honest Willie the RE teacher, his refereeing profile and salary is all due to Dallas, another fake ‘good guy’with a friendly media network on tap.

RELATED READING

• Boyd, Halliday and Ferguson form the Celtic pile-on
• Do Police Scotland decide on entry to Celtic Park?

Select Celtic365 as a “Preferred Source” on Google News for prompts to the independent news and opinions that you respect.

And the full whitewash below.