CELTIC captain Callum McGregor has hit out at the inconsistency of VAR refereeing decisions, saying that Celtic would need ‘a couple of good ones’ in their favour if the calls were to even out over the course of the season.
McGregor’s manager, Ange Postecoglou, has previously said that there was no chance his side would benefit from the sort of refereeing decisions that have so far gone against them between now and the end of the season.
McGregor agrees, and while he has a degree of sympathy for match officials, he also believes that Celtic have had a rough deal from them since the introduction of VAR.
“We probably need a couple of good ones to go for us for that to happen,” McGregor said.
“The law of averages would suggest that, over a season, it will [even out]. But we need to get some good ones between now and the end of the season.
“I think it’s been pretty inconsistent to say the least. We have probably been on the harsher side of quite a lot of the decisions in the majority of the league.
“Of course, it’s a difficult job for the officials. Let’s not make any mistake about that. It is a difficult job. But that’s there to help them.
“Maybe just a bit of clarification on ‘this is a penalty, this isn’t a penalty’ or ‘how are we going to implement it in certain situations’.
“We have to give them the benefit of the doubt and give them a period of time to let things settle and let them understand how it works properly live in the games.
“Like anything in football, if we raise the level on and off the pitch then that will make it a better spectacle for everyone.”
McGregor has been particularly bemused by some of the handball calls that have gone against Celtic in both boxes, revealing that players are now having to completely alter the way they defend as a result of the confusing handball rule.
“When we started playing with VAR, it teaches you to defend differently in the box,” he said.
“You have to - at all costs - keep your hands by your side, and sometimes even that’s not enough.
“It’s difficult for the players but it’s also difficult for the officials as well.
“The quicker we can get clarity on it and resolve the issue, hopefully you will start to see some consistency in the decisions and then over time it will level itself out.”
