Lee Johnson is confident VAR will help bring “justice” to the Scottish game but insists plenty more still needs to be done.
Having already played catch-up with the introduction of VAR, the Hibs boss reckons the Premiership should follow others again by employing professional whistlers. And he’s called for the SFA to encourage former players to join the ranks of refs, arguing VAR could help with claims of bias involving old sides. Ahead of Friday’s clash with St Johnstone, which will see VAR used for the first time in our domestic game, Johnson was positive.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell warned teething troubles could lead to a “horrendous” three months but Johnson said: “We want to see justice, which we should get 99 times out of a hundred with VAR, and a quicker and better flowing game. I hope the flow can be maintained.”
Asked for his general assessment of Scottish officials after four months, he added “there’s a lot of improvement to be made”. He said: “It’s a really difficult job being a referee or an official. But I’d like to see a change, particularly in the top flight, so they’re professional. And I’d like to see ex-players fast-tracked in refereeing.
“I know there’ll always be a risk with bias but, especially with VAR, over the next five to 10 years it would be good to see ex-
players who understand the various levels of contact.”
