NafisaThe Scottish FA has finally broken its silence on the growing calls to abolish VAR from Scottish football following the explosive controversy surrounding Celtic’s dramatic title-winning run.
What was already one of the most heated Premiership title races in recent memory completely erupted after Celtic were awarded a stoppage-time penalty against Motherwell at Fir Park — a decision that ultimately shifted the momentum of the title race heavily in the Hoops’ favour ahead of the final day showdown against Hearts.
The incident triggered outrage across Scottish football.
Fans, pundits and former players immediately questioned how the decision was reached after referee John Beaton awarded Celtic a late penalty following a VAR intervention during the chaotic closing moments of the match. Kelechi Iheanacho converted the spot-kick to hand Celtic a massive 3-2 victory that proved crucial in the title race.
Had the game ended level, Celtic would have entered the final day needing a far bigger result against Hearts to lift the league trophy. Instead, the Hoops simply needed to defeat Hearts at Parkhead to become champions again — which they eventually did.
The backlash that followed was fierce.
Social media exploded with accusations that VAR had once again interfered with Scottish football in the worst possible way, with many supporters demanding the technology be scrapped entirely after another season filled with controversy.
Even major figures in the game publicly questioned whether VAR was actually helping officials or simply creating more confusion.
The controversy intensified further after the personal details of referee John Beaton were leaked online following the decision, forcing police involvement and prompting the Scottish FA to release a furious response condemning the reaction.
Now, Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell has addressed the growing pressure to abolish VAR once and for all.
Speaking after the SFA AGM, Maxwell admitted the reaction to the Celtic penalty incident had become completely toxic and branded the abuse directed at officials “disgusting”.
However, despite the chaos surrounding the title race and growing calls from supporters and pundits to get rid of the technology, Maxwell confirmed the Scottish FA have absolutely no plans to remove VAR from Scottish football going forward.
“It won’t happen,” he said.
“Why would it happen? Everyone gets starry-eyed about the pre-VAR days. Why would we want to go back to a situation where we get more decisions wrong?
“It makes no sense.”
Maxwell also insisted VAR is still reducing errors overall despite the heavy criticism directed toward officials throughout the season.
“VAR is working. It’s eradicating errors,” he added.
“But unfortunately we have a culture within Scottish football that just wants to focus on the negative and over-analyse and forensically analyse every decision that’s ever made.”
The SFA chief also defended referees amid claims they are being unfairly targeted every single week regardless of whether decisions are correct or not.
“It doesn’t even need to be wrong,” he said.
“It just needs to be a decision you don’t like because it doesn’t suit your team. It’s about the colour of shirt your team is wearing.”
Despite the Scottish FA’s strong stance, the controversy surrounding Celtic’s penalty against Motherwell is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
Many Hearts supporters still believe the decision effectively handed Celtic the title advantage at the most important stage of the season, while Rangers fans have also continued voicing frustration over officiating standards throughout the campaign.
But regardless of the anger, frustration and calls for change, one thing now appears absolutely certain — VAR is here to stay in Scottish football.
Nafisa
