It is repulsive.’: Keith Jackson reacts to Rangers Old Firm controversy after VAR incident v Celtic

Keith Jackson has shared his reaction to the VAR controversy during Rangers’ Old Firm clash with Celtic, admitting he thinks the incident “stinks”.

Although Brendan Rodgers’ team defeated the Light Blues 2-1 on Saturday, December 30, they thought they should have been given a penalty in the first half because it seemed like the ball had struck Alistair Johnston’s hand in the area.

The explanation given subsequently was that Abdallah Sima had strayed offside during the build-up, but Jackson was not happy with the procedure, calling it “lot to be desired.” Following a protracted VAR examination, no spot-kick was awarded.

He wrote, “It stinks,” in a piece for the Daily Record on Monday, January 1. Even though the officials’ choice was ultimately the right one, there is much to be said for the process by which they arrived at it.

It is repulsive.

Sima did seem to err just a little bit in the build-up to the handball, as Jackson said, so the officials at Celtic Park ultimately made the correct call, but it was horrifying to watch how they arrived at that conclusion.

According to commentators on Sky Sports and those in charge at Rangers, the offside call wasn’t given as the reason for the penalty not being given until well into the second half, suggesting it hadn’t been checked during the initial incident.

This implies that even though Johnston’s handball was clearly visible to all, the VAR would have believed that the referee on that particular day had not made a glaringly evident error in their ruling and would have thus upheld the call.

The quality of Scottish football officials this season has not come close to matching the caliber of play. Referees and VAR officials will be called into more games if this doesn’t get better sooner rather than later.

The poor decision made on Saturday ought to be the catalyst for change in the Scottish Premiership. Where the title is at the end of the season could be greatly impacted by a moment of insanity on the part of the Celtic Park officials season.

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