Alan Muir will be the man with his finger on the button as VAR makes its debut at the SMISA Stadium this weekend.
The new system will see Muir back up referee Grant Irvine on key decisions during St Mirren’s clash with Dundee United from the comfort of the VAR hub at Clydesdale House in Glasgow.
A minimum of six cameras will have to be deployed around the stadium, with on-field Irvine able to call on Muir and his assistant John McCrossan to reassess important calls if necessary.
Those can only be referred to VAR in the event of a clear and obvious error or a serious missed incident, where the issue being looked at is a straight red card, penalty area incident, goal or case of mistaken identity.
Officials have been training with VAR for months and the Scottish FA’s head of refereeing Crawford Allan insists the new system will make a positive difference in the Scottish top flight, even if it does keep Saints fans waiting a little longer to fully celebrate key moments in the match.
Allan explained: “I think based on experience from every other country we are not naïve enough to think there won’t be a few challenges.
“We might take a few seconds longer to do a clip review than they might do at FIFA for the World Cup because they have the best referees who have been doing VAR forever.
“Every country has shared their experiences and in terms of positivity it is great we’ve got VAR.
“If I give you a driving licence example, the guys have just been given their driving licence and they’ve been passed by FIFA.
“If you drive a car more often after you pass your test you get more comfortable with the machinery around you. That’s just a natural part of human nature.
“It is going to take a few weeks to develop that skill to a higher level than just being able to drive. We are going to become increasingly confident, so in terms of positivity we can’t wait.
“I am a kid in a sweet shop at the moment, brimming with nervous excitement for the weekend.”
St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson insists Scottish football had no choice but to keep up with top leagues around Europe who have already introduced VAR.
While he anticipates there will be a steep learning curve, the 47-year-old firmly believes the introduction of VAR will benefit Premiership clubs in the long run.
Robinson said: “I’ve been involved in a VAR game at international level. There weren’t any controversial decisions, so I didn’t really see the delay and it didn’t affect us. A lot of the boys who’ve played international level have been involved in it though.
“It will help the officials make more correct decisions, although they won’t get everything right. But it will certainly reduce the errors that are getting made.
“When your job is on the line, decisions make or break you. But I’m quite philosophical on it, people are doing the job to the best of their ability.
“They’re making honest decisions. The technology will help make those honest decisions. No one means to make a mistake.
“We are in an industry where these small margins affect us. But it’s the way forward, the way football is going and we all have to embrace it.”
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