Celtic manager Ange
Postecoglou has voiced his frustration at the way in which VAR is being utilised in its opening weeks in the cinch Premiership, believing it is ruining the enjoyment of the game for supporters.
The Greek-Australian was visibly frustrated for much of this game when the technology persistently interrupted the flow of the 90 minutes. It was utilised to award Dundee United a 12th-minute penalty and then again for a lengthy red card check when Craig Sibbald had gone through Giorgos Giakoumakis. It also checked Celtic’s second and fourth goals with Postecog-lou shaking his head on the sidelines.
“I was frustrated and I probably didn’t handle it well,” he said. “Just to be clear here: I don’t have a problem with VAR, but I have a problem with how it is being used. There is no secret that we want to be a team who play at a high tempo, especially at home because we think that is effective for us but also it is entertaining for the fans.
“I don’t think people fell in love with football just to be sitting around waiting for someone in a building miles away to decide outcomes. They do not need to take that long. Even our second goal – our players are celebrating for about two minutes and we are still waiting all that time. To see what? What? I still don’t know what it was.
“If you can’t decide in two minutes then it is probably not there. If they have seven camera angles it seems like they want to look at every one. I know it is early doors and it is a new toy that everyone wants to use but you can’t be disrupting games like this. I don’t think it is good for anyone.”
The interpretation of hand ball has been a source of particular concern for Postecoglou.
“VAR, I thought, was there to pick up clear and obvious errors,” he said. “Clear and obvious. Someone is having a shot from that distance and it hits his arm, how they can say that’s clear and obvious? I don’t get it.
“I feel for the officials because I have no doubt that they are scared to make decisions. It’s changing our game. It’s changing what we all knew to be the laws of the game. I was always pretty clear what a hand ball was, deliberate handball. But it seems that’s not the way.”
