Willie Collum's previous comments on VAR handball decisions have resurfaced after his explanation of Celtic's penalty at Motherwell.
The Scottish FA's head of refereeing appeared on the VAR Review Show this evening to give his opinion on some of the VAR decisions from the Scottish Premiership over the past month.
The hottest topic was the spot kick Celtic received at Fir Park on the penultimate day, helping them win the game and keep the pressure on Hearts at the top of the table.
Many felt footage did not show conclusively whether or not Sam Nicholson handled and so VAR shouldn't have been in a position to intervene, and referee John Beaton shouldn't have been able to award it.
However, Collum said: "For us there is clear evidence, Gordon. When you look at the image here, particularly when you come to the still image where there is the head, the hand, and then the ball, in our opinion, this is clear.
"But when you strip this incident back, let's think about the context: 95th minute of the match. The VAR and the AVAR go through a thorough process here. For them, they are quite clear this is a handball and, more importantly, a punishable handball. And the referee comes to the monitor, he is of the same opinion. So they are the people importantly that count here and for us we fully support what they have reached in terms of an outcome."
In the audio, Beaton is heard asking the VAR "does it definitely hit the arm?", before making a quickfire decision.
On whether that is enough to make the call, Collum went on: "So if you think about a handball situation, when you bring a referee to the monitor for a handball, you have already come to the conclusion that it has hit the hand. So when the referee comes to the monitor there, his main focus needs to be, firstly shown it at normal speed on a loop, and to check the position of the arm which is really crucial.
Read more
It was a great idea: Dick Advocaat recalls plan to move Celtic and Rangers to EnglandSam Nicholson Exclusive: The inside story of THAT Celtic penalty
"And then he just quickly confirms 'Has it hit the hand?' to which the VAR responds 'Yes', because the work has already been done in the check. You wouldn't bring a referee to the monitor if you didn't think the ball hit the hand."
However, contradictory comments from a handball game in a game between Dundee United and Hibs.
Speaking then, Collum said: "Could it have hit the arm? Yes, absolutely it could. But again, similar to the previous clip, do we have 100 per cent conclusive evidence of the ball striking the arm? And we don't.
"So therefore, the on-field decision should be supported. And people have said to me, Gordon, you, 'well then the other club will have a complaint, you know, they'll say that perhaps it did'. But it's about proof. We need to be categorical, we need to be clear, especially when you're overturning an on-field decision here, it needs to be clear evidence.
"That's what we're coaching the VARs and AVARs. We don't want any intervention unless it's a factual overturn because of the handball. We are saying that you must have clear evidence. It can't be based on criteria for a decision like this."
