Scottish referees could soon be mic’d up as the SFA consider ways to bring clearer transparency to the game.
Delegates from all top-flight clubs will attend a summit at Hampden to discuss a variety issues which includes the impact of the introduction of VAR and the controversial refereeing calls which littered the last campaign. SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell revealed all options are on the table, including having the on-field decisions from whistlers being made audible in a bid to remove confusion for players, clubs and fans.
He said: “We will consider everything. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited have employed a voice coach because the referees need to be aware that what they’re saying could be heard by the wider public. Scottish football fans have a specific mentality and how they talk to players would be analysed to the ninth degree. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be doing it, we just need to be aware of that additional context behind it.
"They are a lot further down the line because their officials have used VAR on the pitch for a long time. Our guys haven’t even used it for a season.
"If you think about the number of times over the last seven months a single referee has had it on the pitch or in the VAR room, it’s probably only just in double figures for each.
"There’s not a huge amount of experience. Everything is on the table. We are not saying we’re definitely not doing anything. We need to make sure the timing is right and the processes are right and that we don’t jump into things too early and cause more problems than they solve.”
Maxwell admits the teething issues with the technology can be improved but he’s hoping today’s summit will help bring clarity to some of the contentious issues with VAR including the time it takes for decisions to be assessed and confirmed.
He said: “Knowledge and understanding is a big point for me. Media, fans, broadcasters to understand why the decisions are being made as they are and why it’s taking as long as it is. From a clarity and transparency point of view we want to do as much as we can. “We’re looking at ways so we can.
“I saw the PGMOL released some audio from previous matches in order to educate and help people understand. I’m not saying we’re going to get there straight away. They had a voice coach employed for 12 months to make sure the referees know what they’re saying is going to be heard and get them thinking about that. Because, with the greatest will in the world, referees aren’t employed because they can speak well. They’re appointed because they can make decisions.
There’s definitely work that’s ongoing. We want to see continual improvement. We want to see the time it takes for decisions to be made come down, if they can.
"We want to see the number of decisions we are getting right increase. We want that to be as high as it can. There’s a realism that it’s never going to get to 100-per-cent of every decision in every game because of the subjective element. But we want to see that continual improvement. And clubs and fans want to see that as well.”
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