Aberdeen have launched a harsh criticism of VAR in Scotland after a meeting with the SFA. The Pittodrie club have had a rather torrid season, but have been troubled by questionable decisions, such as Duk’s late tackle in the League Cup final, handball at Ibrox or penalties. in the Hibs game.
The statement, however, was released after Bojan Miovski’s goal was disallowed in the closing stages of their game against Livingston. As published on their online page on Wednesday afternoon, the Dons questioned the quality of VAR in Scotland while pointing to the technology.
“Aberdeen FC feel compelled to deal with their fans after Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Livingston in West Lothian, when a delayed goal from Bojan Miovski was disallowed following the intervention of the video assistant referee.
“Which was:
“The hawk-eye formula failed before Bojan Miovski’s 92nd-minute goal at the Tony Macaroni Arena, so video assistant referees (VARs) may not rely on reliable calibrated lines to determine, with the general degree of certainty, whether Angus MacDonald is offside or not. . The Scottish Football Association showed us that it had already launched an investigation into the reasons for this failure and had put its managers in a difficult situation.
“VAR then used a freeze frame to determine whether they thought Angus MacDonald was in an offside position when the free-kick was taken by Leighton Clarkson. The ability of VAR to do this is contained in the VAR protocols.
“The Scottish Football Association has admitted that VAR cannot determine with certainty the innermost position of Livingston midfielder Daniel McKay’s frame, because from the only angle available – the 18-metre camera on the side of the main stand – the bottom of McKay’s frame is completely concealed, blocked by other players. Even though his entire frame was visible, it’s highly unlikely to know who was closest to the finish line without any “scorer” on the field.
“It was therefore stated through all the participants in the assembly that the VARs had to truly guess what the position might have been based on the limited data they had, and that was the basis on which to cancel the call in the box. Assistant referee, who did not raise his flag. We strongly believe that in such a case, and for the integrity of the game, the fit referees deserve to uphold their original resolution in the area without having falsified evidence to overturn it and necessarily do it again. Referee the development of the game.
“This course of action was selected before asking the referee to review the frozen box and make a resolution, which is allowed through the protocols when it is a matter of opinion rather than fact, or more appropriately, in the absence of a final result from the camera, sticking to the resolution of the box and giving the advantages of doubt.
“What this scenario shows, in our view, is that the VAR edition that Scottish football has, or rather the one that can afford, is not compatible for its purpose. It perfectly highlights the limitations of the technology, in addition to the implementation of the point, the consistency in decision-making, and the negative effects on the overall fan experience during the match.
“Of course, this is not a factor unique to Aberdeen FC. We are nonpartisan because we think that a decision, or at least a process, was not effective at all this weekend. We recognize that there have been events in which we ourselves have had the opportunity to take advantage of some of the observations and limitations raised.
“The Scottish Football Association, with the help of the SPFL (through the Competitions Working Group), frequently reviews the use of video assistant referees in Scottish football. Aberdeen FC is committed to playing an active role in those discussions and will engage with all stakeholders. To check and enhance the final results because, at the moment, we do not believe that the presence of VAR will improve the game in this country.
This is quite remarkable coming from Aberdeen and comes just weeks after Brendan Rodgers made comments about the meaning of refereeing in the country. The Celtic manager necessarily claimed, like Aberdeen, that matches were refereed and charged through the SFA, resulting in a one-match suspension for his comments.
The refereeing commentary became applicable when Celtic drew 3-3 with Rangers at Ibrox, when John Beaton was asked to consult the monitor after judging that Fabio Silva had dived into the Celtic area. The referee was very close to the incident and had a clear and unobstructed view of the incident, however, his VAR at Clydesdale House, Nick Walsh, still asked him to review the footage. There, he was shown footage of the incident, which did not show Alistair Johnston’s touch of the ball or Silva’s ball. already on the ground.
Aberdeen had its meeting with the SFA and published the effects in a desirable statement. However, we have yet to hear the final results of Celtic’s correspondence with the SFA in relation to the resolution that gave Rangers a special touch this weekend. It would appeal to Listen in the same detail to how this assembly went.
Aberdeen FC feel compelled to deal with their fans after Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Livingston at West Lothian, when a delayed goal from Bojan Miovski was disallowed following the intervention of the video assistant referee.
– Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) April 10, 2024
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