Motherwell FC Statement is one Celtic can support

The Celtic Star

·21 March 2024

Motherwell FC Statement is one Celtic can support

The Motherwell statement is one we as Celtic supporters can all get fully behind…

Motherwell Football Club yesterday made a statement regarding a controversial decision in their recent clash with Aberdeen. VAR is not surprisingly the target of the Steelmen’s fury after yet another questionable decision made by the men in charge of the much maligned technology.

The Fir Park sides statement was perfectly presented and wasn’t sour grapes because of one defeat. It was refreshingly different from theRangers one back in late December when their toys came out the pram as they squealed about a decision they didn’t get (and it was OFFSIDE anyway) blaming everyone in an effort to deflect from their failings after losing to Celtic yet again.

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This Motherwell statement is one we can all fully get behind. The Steelmen said that they are concerned that the inconsistency of decision making is having a serious impact on fans enjoyment of the game, and they are absolutely correct.

Supporters are being denied any enjoyment from the game we all love. As football supporters we all like to disagree with one another more often than not, but this is one area where we can all overwhelmingly agree on.

VAR was introduced to make the game better, but it’s somehow made the game drastically worse, especially so it seems in Scotland. That’s why the Head of Referees Crawford Allan fell in his own sword this week.

There’s a reasonable argument to be had that the technology is a good thing, but it’s irrelevant if the same incompetent people are running it. But we aren’t going to suddenly get competent people running it overnight, so the best for all concerned would be to get shot of it altogether.

We all want to start enjoying the football again, and us supporters or customers as we are now viewed are the ones who matter. Time for a rethink.

Here’s the Motherwell FC Statement in full…

Statement on VAR decision against Aberdeen – Motherwell Football Club

In our match against Aberdeen on Saturday, Lennon Miller scored what we believed was an equalising goal. The on-field decision by referee Willie Collum was to award the goal however, after a lengthy VAR check by Steven McLean, the referee was advised to go the VAR monitor.

After reviewing the goal, the on-field decision was reversed due to a handball in the build up by Theo Bair. The explanation we received for this decision was that as Theo’s hand was outstretched and high, it was a deliberate handball and therefore the goal was ruled out.

This was different from the decision in the Ross County game as the “handball was deemed to be non penalisable as the ball rebounded onto the player’s arm. This is despite the handball occurring when the hand is well above the player’s head and changing the direction the ball is travelling.

Whilst we do accept that all decisions, particularly in relation to handball, are subjective, we are baffled as to how anyone can conclude Theo’s handball is deliberate when the ball only glances his shoulder as he attempts to head it. It also had no impact on the next phase of play when the goal was scored.

We also do not believe this incident meets the “clear and obvious” error threshold that all clubs’ signed up to when VAR was introduced, at a significant cost to each club.

We were then further disappointed at the decision not to award a penalty kick near the end of the match when the ball clearly hits Graeme Shinnie’s arm in the penalty area. We were advised that as the ball had ricocheted off another defender prior to impact, it could not be deemed to be deliberate, despite his arm being outstretched.

We fully understand that individual decisions made during games will always be open to interpretation and that it is unlikely that universal consensus will ever be reached. We are however concerned that rules are being interpreted differently, even during the same game, there is a high level of inconsistency in decision making and that the threshold for VAR intervention appears to be moving. There is also the issue that no-one in the stadium has any idea why the goal has been ruled out.

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. 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.

End of Statement.

Incidentally when you read through that statement and consider the explanations that have been given on the penalties incidents, given or not given, and think about the decision to give Hearts that penalty at Tynecastle then that decision is even more sinister.

We were advised that as the ball had ricocheted off another defender prior to impact, it could not be deemed to be deliberate, despite his arm being outstretched.”

You could also add in Tomoki’s case that a) he had his back to the ball and b) he had his eyes closed. The referee might not have seen this but John Beaton on VAR duties certainly did. No wonder Crawford Allan jumped before he was pushed.

Just an Ordinary Bhoy