The SFA has appointed former English Premier League referee Martin Atkinson as its new VAR Manager, following the sudden departure of Jon Moss, who left after just over a month in the role for an “opportunity of a lifetime.”
Atkinson’s arrival comes amid broader changes within the SFA’s refereeing department, where Willie Collum recently replaced Crawford Allan as Head of Refereeing.
Atkinson will have a pivotal role in developing the quality of VAR officiating across Scottish football.
VAR’s introduction to Scottish football has been marred by inconsistencies and contentious calls, his appointment signals a renewed focus on consistency and precision in officiating.
One of the most controversial recent decisions involving VAR came during Celtic’s weekend match against Motherwell, when Daizen Maeda’s goal was disallowed after he was taken down in the box and his arm unintentionally came into contact with the ball. Despite the apparent unintentional handball, the goal was ruled out, and no penalty was awarded—prompting questions about why VAR didn’t instruct the referee to rewatch the blatant foul on the screen.
To address these ongoing concerns, Collum has taken part in two recent VAR reviews aimed at improving transparency and setting consistent standards. Overall, its a positive step and fans are pleased by it so far.
With the League Cup semi-finals this weekend, VAR will again be under close scrutiny, as Andrew Dallas has been assigned VAR duties for Celtic’s clash with Aberdeen, while Alan Muir will oversee VAR for the other semi-final.
He’s going to need all the luck he can muster! He’s going into an old boys club that’s very much a closed shop!
I suspect that’s the real reason his predecessor ACTUALLY moved along.