Latest news with #VARReview
The Courier
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Courier
Dundee and VAR: Willie Collum insists ref was right on Ross County penalty that relegated St Johnstone
Willie Collum says Nick Walsh was right to award the penalty kick that denied Dundee a crucial victory over Ross County and relegated St Johnstone. Heading into stoppage time in the penultimate fixture of the season, the Dark Blues were leading 1-0 at Dens Park. A win would see the Dee safe from relegation and would also give Saints the opportunity to overtake the Staggies on the final day. However, ref Nick Walsh controversially punished Antonio Portales for handball and Ronan Hale equalised from the spot. The decision was branded 'an absolute disgrace'. However, head of refereeing Collum has backed his official. In the monthly VAR Review from the SFA on YouTube, audio from the incident has been released. After the ball brushed Portales's arm, VAR Andrew Dallas said: 'I need to check that.' Referee Nick Walsh: 'Penalty. Handball. I think the arm is above shoulder height.' VAR: 'Slight touch on his head and then it hits off the hand. VAR: 'Nick, it's Andrew. We're just going to check the APP (attacking phase of play). Just to tell you his team-mate's headed it and [Portales] has his back to him. 'But the arm is above the head, above shoulder height. It's close proximity but it does hit his hand and it's above shoulder height. 'There's no impact from the attacker on the defender. 'Confirming on-field decision of penalty kick. Check complete.' Willie Collum defended the decision but admitted interpretation of the handball law may change for next season. He said: 'We have listened to a lot of the perception of the decision. I won't ever just defend decisions in this show. 'I'll be open and transparent. 'In terms of the laws of the game, this is a correct interpretation because the arm is far too high above the head. 'The referee is right in his judgement to award the penalty kick. 'There is nothing in the law to say it should be ruled out. It says that anybody with an arm high in the air runs the risk of being punished. 'The referee was very clear, the VAR discuss the situation so when that is clarified there is no reason to bring the referee to the monitor here. 'People have said that but why? 'In terms of law this season, that is a correct interpretation. 'I would say we think we are in a better place in terms of handball. We looked at a lot of clips from last season to learn. This is a clip we need to look at again. 'We have a lot of discussion post-season with this kind of incident. 'There's a possibility next season [it isn't given]. We will listen to people's views. There are a lot of ifs and buts but in terms of law nobody can say that isn't given.' The VAR Review also covered two other controversial decisions that went against the Dark Blues. Collum admitted he was 'disappointed' in VAR's process to review a push by Kilmarnock's Kyle Vassell on Simon Murray not because it was a foul but because it was outside the area. Another involving Antonio Portales proved far more controversial. The Mexican had already volleyed in one beauty against Motherwell and struck another into the top corner to put Dundee 2-0 up. However, offside was given against Clark Robertson in the build-up, a decision then-Dee boss Tony Docherty blasted as a 'disgrace'. Again Collum backed the decision but admitted the referee should have been brought to the monitor to review it personally. He said: '[Clark Robertson] comes out to challenge the Motherwell player and moves his leg to challenge. Making that challenging motion, that was enough for the VAR team to say this was impact. 'We shared this clip far and wide. The KMI panel looked at it in detail, we looked at it with the referees. 'It was probably 60-40 in favour of offside. That means we want to review it, look at it in the close season with the clubs, players and coaches as well as the match officials to think about our direction of travel moving forward. 'We are content with the decision. Where we are not content is the process. Categorically, the referee should have been brought to the monitor. 'This is not a factual decision. It is factual that the player is offside, but subjective whether he impacts the move. 'That should be left to the on-field match official.'
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Collum admits 'good chance' ball over line in Rangers goal incident
The Scottish FA referee chief conceded that Nico Raskin's effort at Easter Road may have crossed the line before being cleared by Rocky Bushiri. This incident was followed by a lengthy VAR check after Hibs had raced up the park and equalised. However, Collum supported the decision not to award the goal due to the lack of a definitive camera angle proving the ball was over the line. In a candid discussion on the VAR Review show, Collum suggested the ball was likely in but defended the VAR and AVAR for adhering to protocol amidst criticism for their handling of similar situations in the past. Collum said: "Let's go back to two incidents this season first—Hibs vs Celtic, possible ball over the line, and Dundee United vs Hibs, possible handball before it goes into the goal. "We were criticised for both of those decisions, and rightly so, because ultimately, there was no conclusive evidence. "I know people who would look at this decision and say 'that camera angle, for me, is conclusive.' "But the reality is, that camera angle is at an angle looking in the way, there's nothing directly in line there." He referenced a similar incident from a World Cup match, where an angled camera shot suggested the ball was over the line, but a direct view proved otherwise. He continued: "Can the VAR and the AVAR there categorically, 100 per cent, say the ball was over the line? "Not for us. "Do I think it crossed the line? "I think there's a good chance it did. "But can I be absolutely certain of that? "No." Collum acknowledged the challenging nature of the situation, noting the difficulty in making a definitive call as the ball was off the ground in the final frame before being cleared. He said: "What doesn't help in this scenario is that the ball is not on the ground. "I think you could make a call here if the ball was on the ground, well over, there was loads of grass between it. "In terms of that camera angle, in terms of the ball being mid-air, can we be 100 per cent? "We don't think we can be."
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Willie Collum leaps to defence of VAR over Rangers ‘ghost goal' vs Hibs but admits ‘there's a good chance it DID go in'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE Scottish Premiership season is over, but one incident from the final day is still being discussed. And now SFA Head of Referees Willie Collum has run the rule over the controversial moment. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 3 Nico Raskin thought he'd doubled Rangers' lead in their final match against Hibs Credit: SNS 3 The ball appeared to cross the line but Nick Walsh waved play on and VAR confirmed the decision 3 SFA Head of Referees Willie Collum has had his say on the incident Rangers thought they'd doubled their advantage against Hibs when Nicolas Raskin appeared to bundle the ball over the line, only for referee Nick Walsh to wave play on. It proved a highly controversial incident, and now the SFA's VAR Review show has covered the decision, with host Gordon Duncan asking Collum for his defence of the call. Collum said: "Let's go back to two incidents this season first - Hibs vs Celtic, possible ball over the line, and Dundee United vs Hibs, possible handball before it goes into the goal. "We were criticised for both of those decisions, and rightly so, because ultimately, there was no conclusive evidence. "I know people who would look at this decision and say 'that camera angle, for me, is conclusive.' "But the reality is, that camera angle is at an angle looking in the way, there's nothing directly in line there. "I've quoted before, in a World Cup match, there was a similar angle shown in a Japan game [against Spain in 2022] where, if you'd used that angle, you would say the ball was over the line. "Then when you line it up directly in line, it only needs a slight part of the ball to be touching that line. "Can the VAR and the AVAR there categorically, 100%, say the ball was over the line? Not for us. "Do I think it crossed the line? I think there's a good chance it did. Premier League Darts star Stephen Bunting 'moonlighting as Rangers steward' as incredible Ibrox doppelganger spotted "But can I be absolutely certain of that? No. "What doesn't help in this scenario is that the ball isn't on the ground. "I think you could make a call here if the ball was on the ground, well over, there was loads of grass between it. "In terms of that camera angle, in terms of the ball being mid-air, can we be 100%? We don't think we can be. "We've been criticised previously, we've now moved to say we'll only give a decision like that if we've got 100% conclusive evidence, so the VAR and AVAR are correct to say there that they don't have that evidence." Duncan replied: "I think a lot of people will say 'if that's not conclusive, then will you ever truly get conclusive evidence?' "I feel like everyone thinks that's over the line. "So if that isn't conclusive then I'm looking for something that's very unlikely to ever be there." Collum admitted: "If you have a goal-line camera, you've got a very good chance of catching it. "I think we could have come to a decision clearly if it's looking right down the barrel of the goal-line. "One thing that would make this clear is goal-line technology, it takes the human element away because the watch reacts or doesn't react and then it's absolutely categorical." Duncan asked: "On goal-line technology, I assume it goes without saying that you would welcome that if clubs were willing to pay and make your life easier?" Inside the rise of ex-Rangers ultras chief turned mob boss waging gangland war across Scotland Collum said: "No question, because what would happen is it would remove any doubt. "It would be categorical, but where it won't help you is for a ball in and out of play on the goal-line. "We discussed it, and I think the clubs and everybody in Scottish football would welcome it, it is in play in the semi-finals and the final of the League Cup and Scottish Cup as we use it at the national stadium. "I don't think anybody wouldn't welcome it, but it's a cost implication, you balance the cost with how many times in a competition in a season do you need it. "Maybe even just one decision could be crucial in deciding which way the championship goes, who gets into a European place, who's relegated, who ends up in a play-off. "So maybe even for the cost implication, when the stakes are so high, it would be better to have it than not to have it. "We would definitely welcome it, and we would certainly welcome if it was possible in each match to have goal-line cameras." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The National
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The National
Willie Collum on Celtic's denied penalty vs St Johnstone
Brendan Rodgers' men ran riot at Hampden as they booked their place in next month's Scottish Cup final. Callum McGregor, Daizen Maeda, Adam Idah, and Jota all scored in a rampant 5-0 victory. Read more: Celtic were 4-0 up at the break but didn't let up in the second 45. Just before he was withdrawn on 64 minutes, James Forrest looked to weave his way through the opposition defence. He was eventually brought to ground as he did so, and referee Calum Scott initially pointed to the spot. After co-operation with VAR, however, he changed his decision. The SFA's Head of Refereeing, Collum, recently spoke out on the incident: "So there is an initial challenge outside the box, but as they come into the box, the first challenge is what the referee initially awards the penalty for," he said [VAR Review Show]. "Watching the footage live in the VAR centre, it looked like a penalty kick, but when you start to analyse the challenge the referee has punished, there is no contact or minimal contact. "There has been talk about an arm coming across [the face of Forrest] - that's not enough in terms of a threshold for us to award a penalty kick here. "This is a correct intervention." Celtic are back in league action this afternoon as they travel to face Dundee United at Tannadice. Avoid defeat, and Rodgers' men will be crowned champions of Scotland for the fourth consecutive season.
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Willie Collum salutes 'perfect' Rangers no goal VAR protocol as damning Maeda fallout triggers change
Willie Collum has saluted the VAR protocol which denied Rangers and Hamza Igamane - weeks after a damning indictment over Daizen Maeda's disallowed goal at Easter Road. The referee chief admits officials will ace every judgement call but Collum was bullish as he insisted that lessons had been learned and it was textbook stuff from his men on the field during the 2-2 draw with Aberdeen. Collum concedes guarantees are non-starter but there was no mea culpa from the big call in Rangers' visit to the Granite City earlier this month. A previous incident happened earlier in the campaign at Easter Road with Collum holding his hands up at the time and admitting the decision against Celtic was wrong. Speaking on the VAR Review show, Collum explained: "It is the same process. I want to be open and say again, it emphasises the coaching we are delivering. We learn from previous decisions that it is important people say you make mistakes, you come and say it is an error, well how do you go about fixing it? "We coach the match officials and here this is handled the way we want it to be handled. "The assistant referee says the ball is out of play. But he delays the flag perfect in terms of the VAR protocol because if he triggers too early and flags and the referee blows for a goal-kick, the goal is scored then it is a point of no return. We can't award the goal. "So he delays the flag then says when the ball hits the net 'ball out of play, goal-kick'. The VAR immediately go into a check then "They don't have any angle. There is nothing to say what the assistant referee has said is wrong. We could look at this clip right now and for us it looks like the ball is out of play, but can we absolutely guarantee it? Can we prove it? No. So we support the on-field decision there. "This is textbook in the way we expect this incident to be handled. Importantly as well I should emphasize the correct protocol is followed, allowing the goal to be scored then we go back and deal with the situation." Asked about the frustration from players, clubs and fans that they want definitive proof and why they can't get that, he continued: "Remember I spoke about at the Hibs vs Celtic incident that people said if you had goal-line technology that would solve the problem? "But the watch and audio for goal-line technology only triggers when the ball enters the goal. It doesn't trigger when it goes either side of the goal. "Again, we utilise the angles. Here is a live TV match for example [Hibs vs Celtic] and the goal-line camera doesn't identify the ball being in or out. It is just the angle it is at. So we have to rely on the other angle which looks out and it looks like the assistant referee has made the correct call but we can't be definitive. If we can't be definitive we support the on field decision." A second incident took place in the game involving Kevin Nisbet with his strike ruled out. Collum added: "The laws of the game are quite clear. If it strikes your arm whether it is intentional or not and you score directly then the goal must be disallowed. It doesn't count in this situation. Many people will disagree with that but that is the law and what we need to take into account here. " Last weekend at Hampden, two flashpoints came under review by VAR as Celtic ran out huge winners in the Scottish Cup semi-final. The first was a disallowed goal for the Saints for a push on Adam Idah. The referee initially allowed the goal to stand but it was then overturned on review. Collum said: "I am convinced by this decision. You need to talk about threshold. Football is a contact sport and it is possible you could be touching somebody and not pushing them. Here though I think there is a pushing motion and it is clear for me." On a penalty being overturned on James Forrest, he added: "There is an initial challenge outside the box. When they come inside the first challenge is what the referee awards the penalty for and the VAR immediately has to go into a check there. "The referee's position could have been better. He gives himself thinking time but he could have been closer to the incident. "I have to say watching live, I was watching the footage live in the VAR centre and for me, it looked like a penalty kick. "When you start to analyse it, the challenge the referee has punished there is no contact or minimal contact. I actually don't think there is any. "The Celtic player goes down, there has been talk over an arm coming across but that is not enough in terms of a threshold for us to award a penalty kick here. This is a correct intervention again. Bring the referee to the monitor and let them see it."
