GRAHAM ALEXANDER reckons waiting for a VAR goal decision actually helps to build the tension around fans celebrating on occasions.
The Motherwell boss is all for the video technology in Scottish football.
However, the former Scotland international insists the emotions of the game “must be protected” while the nation’s favourite sport moves with the times.
It’s believed that VAR could be ready for implementation in the Premiership after the first round of matches.
It had been earmarked to be introduced after the World Cup, in mid-December.
Alexander says he’s happy for it to come early, but everyone must be fully equipped to run with it.
He said: “I’m in favour of it coming in whenever everyone is ready for it to come in and people are prepared for us.
“There’s no point in rushing it in if the officials are having issues with it because I know they are trialling it.
“There are always going to be issues at the start. If the officials feel confident that they are where they need to be at the appropriate time then I’m all for it.
“It’s the officials who are going to use it so it’s appropriate that they have a big say in when it’s ready to be used because they must be comfortable using it. That’s the biggest thing.
“I understand that argument about losing spontaneity. You do see it when people don’t celebrate straight away although you still see goals where, even though it’s a minute later, there’s still a big celebration.
“Sometimes there are goals where the minute it takes actually builds up the tension.
“There’s a little bit of that but whenever you change there is always something that’s going to fall by the wayside.
“You don’t want to take away the emotion – the essence of football – because that’s what makes it the No.1 sport in the world.
“Everyone is so emotionally involved in it and you don’t want to dilute that.
“But I think at the level we play at, big decisions cost clubs. And if we can help officials make the right decisions then it is the way that the game is going to go.
“I do think there’s always a bedding in period. There is that the trade-off is that if we can get it right it can work well.
“The game is going this way. You can fight it if you want but the world is going this way.
“Journalists don’t work with pens and pads any more or write in shorthand. Everyone uses technology. That’s the reality. Everything is going the tech way.
“As long as football isn’t played by robots, that’s the important thing.
“We’ll always have people in the stands to watch it as that’s the basic of the game – humans playing it, humans watching it. If anything else can help enhance that then I’m all for it.
“As long as the essence and emotion of football is protected I think we have to move with the times.
“We obviously want the players to understand it when it comes in and it’s the same with the managers as we want to understand how decisions are made.
“But there’s only so much that we need to know. We’re don’t need to go into it too far as we’ve got enough on our plates managing 20 players.
“But I think it’s important that people awhile are directly impacted by anything, that we communicate with them.
“We communicate with our players, staff members and supporters as they are part of what we do as a football club.
“So, I think it’s important that the SFA do that and I’m sure they will.”
