SFA chief IAN MAXWELL finally addressed one of the most ridiculous moments VAR has served up for Celtic since coming into play in Scotland.

It was the night at Fir Park when Celtic winger Jota was put through on goal and scored with the coolest of finishes to make it 2-0. The goal would be checked by VAR and was ruled offside, much to the dismay of the Celtic winger.

When the offside was shown on the TV to supporters, the angle came from the furthest away camera on the pitch deep in the opposite half. It was a bizarre moment, leaving Celtic fans and the club scratching their heads.

Days after the incident, Celtic wrote to the SFA to complain about the use of TV cameras to call the offside. The Hoops weren’t contesting the offside decision, just the manner in which it was brought about.

celtic fir park ange

When asked about the incident, Maxwell told The Herald: “That was an interesting one because nobody is actually saying Jota was offside or the decision was wrong. The angle looks strange but that doesn’t really matter because fundamentally the decision was right and that is what it is meant to do.

sfa chief ian maxwell
Ian Maxwell on left. REUTERS/Alberto Lingria

“There was an issue with the camera angle, it wasn’t wide enough to capture the ball and the individual, so we had to use the camera at the other end of the pitch.

“Thankfully, the Hawkeye system saw this coming and that’s why both cameras are calibrated to deal with offsides the length of the pitch, in case you get a technology failure or a human error. It just looked a bit strange, but the outcome was right; we got the right decision.”

We have to have full confidence in what the SFA and the VAR technology are doing. Images like the one below can’t be on the table.

Ange Postecglou has already bemoaned that there should be very few teething problems because the technology isn’t new. Things need to settle down once the league returns later in December.

Referees need to get their act together. This can only work if they know what they’re doing. From hand ball decisions, to the time taken to look at incidents, we are all over the place.

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