Blundering Rangers referee let down by 'friends' as ex Premier League whistler insists VAR failed 'foolproof' test

Daily Record

19-05-2025

Referee Nick Walsh and the match officials opted against giving a goal to the Light Blues at Easter Road - sparking fury from the Gers' players
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher reckons the SFA ditched goal-line technology due to their belief in VAR.
But former Liverpool star Stephen Warnock reckons that the snub comes down to cost in the wake of Rangers star Nicolas Raskin 's no goal against Hibs.
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The midfielder thought he'd doubled the visitors lead at Easter Road when his strike appeared to have crossed the line – but it wasn't spotted by ref Nick Walsh and David Gray's men immediately went up the other end to equalise.
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VAR checked the incident but the SFA have since released guidance saying there was no conclusive evidence it did in fact go in.
After the game, interim boss Barry Ferguson branded it 'mind-blowing' and 'baffling' and in a scathing statement Rangers demanded to raise the of goal-line technology issue with the SFA.
And speaking to Sky Sports' Ref Watch, Gallagher offered man in the middle Walsh a defence stating: "[The referee] needed a little help from his friends.
"It does look over the line, there's no doubt about that. They haven't got GDS [goal decision system] because they feel they can incorporate it into the VAR system.
"But if you look at it, the answer was they had no conclusive evidence it was over the line, but it certainly does look over.
"What didn't help is they say it's not a goal and then it goes to the other end and Hibs equalise.
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"They're doubly aggrieved because there's a two-goal swing, instead of being 2-0 it ends up 1-1 so they're massively, massively aggrieved."
Gallagher went on to offer an insight in the Hampden chiefs discussions over the technology with their English counterparts: "The Scottish FA came to the Premier League and looked at what was already in place, VAR, and they've got a slightly different system which isn't as complicated as the Premier League system.
"All I can think is they felt they could incorporate [goal-line technology] as part of their system and that the VAR would be able to see from pictures whether the ball was over the line. As it is, looking at that, it isn't as foolproof as people maybe thought."
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But an unimpressed Warnock claimed the Premiership was missing a VAR "necessity" due to finances.
He added: "It's my favourite piece of kit, it's one that's black-and-white, it works, it's one that we very rarely question.
"When the referee points to his watch and gives it 'no' or 'it's a goal' we know exactly where we stand with it, it's very trusting.
"It's obviously just a case of cost, that's the only stumbling point of it. It's a necessity in any league to have that."
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