Half of Premiership clubs choose not to pay for VAR in Scottish Cup Fourth Round ties

Every Premiership club that was given the choice to pay for VAR in the Scottish Cup this weekend has rejected the use of the technology, with one Premiership manager saying he was “delighted” to have a game without it.

Six of the 12 clubs from the top division could have paid to have additional match officials reviewing important decisions in their games, but prefer to have just the on-field referee and his assistants judge major incidents.

The fourth round of the cup competition takes place this weekend, with 32 teams in action across the country, but only five of the 16 games will make use of Video Assistant Referees.

Livingston’s home tie against St Mirren is one of the games going without the additional officials, and manager David Martindale said that while it was primarily a financial decision, he would have turned down an offer to use it cost-free as he believes it is “ruining the game.”

While the VAR system is utilised in every Premiership game, at this stage in the knockout competition, the Scottish FA rules are different. In some cases, clubs have been given the option of whether to spend money on the additional officials, with all of them declining to spend money.

The competition rules state that all televised games in this round must have VAR in place, meaning that Friday night’s tie featuring Rangers and Annan Athletic, Saturday’s lunchtime match between Dunfermline and Hibs, Hearts v Falkirk, holders Aberdeen against Raith Rovers, and West of Scotland League side Auchinleck Talbot’s home tie against Celtic will all use the technology.

The governing body’s rulebook says that for all other games VAR will be used when “the competing clubs agree to so use VAR”, or “one of the competing clubs wishes to use VAR and agrees to pay the VAR costs for the relevant match”.

All Premiership clubs are already set up to use the technology, though additional cameras and other equipment, including cabling, would have to be put in place for the weekend’s games.

Motherwell v Ross County, Dundee United v Ayr United, Kilmarnock v Dundee and Livingston v St Mirren all involve clubs that use VAR on a weekly basis in the league but decided not to pay for the service this weekend.

The cost of the technology may be a key part of the decision making, with cameras, associated equipment, hiring of match officials and other factors meaning a one-off game could incur costs of between £8,000 and £16,000 but the system has been criticised since it’s first introduction and some Premiership managers have said they are happy it’s not in use this weekend.

St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson, who has repeatedly said that he does not believe the benefits outweigh the costs, said he was “delighted” the system wouldn’t be in place for his side’s game.

“We would share the cost of it in the cup and both sides decided we didn’t want VAR,” he said. “You can celebrate a goal and enjoy football and not worry about what they are trying to find, or whether it is or isn’t a goal.

“We’re looking forward to that.

“I have no doubt that it’s her to stay in the overall game, but the version we have got in this country has caused a lot of problems at the moment.

“Does it make football better? Ultimately, it’s about the fans, and do the fans enjoy it more with VAR? I would suggest that they are not, and they are the most important people.”

VAR was introduced in Scottish football in October 2022 after a lengthy debate over whether the system would be beneficial. Used widely across Europe and in continental and international competitions, it’s designed to give factual accuracy on some game-changing decisions and allow referees to review important moments on video for others, would be beneficial.

SPFL Premiership clubs voted to bring in a version of the technology they found affordable, and after time for training, it was introduced in the Premiership and in selected cup matches. Part of the argument in favour of VAR was in reaching the right decision in high-stakes matches.

While Hampden bosses have said that the introduction has led to a higher percentage of correct decisions, there has been a continued focus on controversial decisions and admissions that even with video technology and additional referees, and on occasion because of it, the wrong calls have been made.

Supporters, who in the main were not consulted before the introduction, have also been hugely critical, with the delay in making decisions and the communication in stadiums seen as detrimental to fan experience.