Andy Walker has astonishingly revealed that he overheard a VAR official and a Scottish referee seeming to collude over a major incident.
The pundit and former Celtic star dropped the bombshell that he, as part of his duties at Sky Sports, is able to hear the conversation from the VAR official’s perspective when covering live games. And Walker insists - while not naming the game, referee or particular incident – that he heard a VAR official talk about the ‘easiest way out’ of a decision for the on-field referee.
It comes as his old side prepare to face Rangers on Saturday in a crucial Premiership clash with VAR coming under the microscope in recent weeks and prominent figures within the game such as Ally McCoist urging the new technology to be binned.
He told NewsSlotsKlosh: “Working with Sky I have the option of listening to VAR. To be absolutely clear I hear the video assistant referee – not the referee on the pitch.
“I have a concern. I won’t mention any names and I won’t name the teams involved but there was an instance where a couple of things happened in the space of a second or two.
“And I heard the VAR say ‘the easiest way out of this, is if it’s offside’.
“That to me is really poor language. There should be no idea that we get an easy way out. You have to look at what’s happening on the pitch and apply the laws of the game – don’t look for the easy way out.
“That’s not good enough. It’s awful. I couldn’t believe what I was listening to. I’m not going to mention any names and I’m not going to mention the game.
“But that kind of language makes me feel that the people operating VAR are obviously not feeling the atmosphere because they are not at the ground.
“Referees now have this safety net ‘it doesn’t matter what I say or do’ someone else will tell me if I’ve got it right or I’ve got it wrong and that example I have given? That can’t be right.”
READ NEXT:
- Victor Wanyama Celtic gym quip over lifting trophies to Alistair Johnston ahead of Hoops transfer
- Rangers coach 'headbutts' Celtic women's boss branding him 'little rat' in explosive derby scenes
