Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been a vocal advocate of VAR since the beginning.
The former Belgian international has been clear that even with delays and small inconsistencies with the system, if VAR is helping to get more decisions right, then he is all for it.
And the data shows that it is.
In the latest independent VAR panel review, Scottish referees are said to have gotten 97.8% of decisions correct across the board, a 7.5% rise from before the technology was adopted.
And despite the fact that Rangers have had the most of the 26 incorrect VAR decisions given against them (5) that’s something which only emboldens Philippe Clement’s view.
Even if one of his Scottish Premiership counterparts has claimed that the Scottish game would be better off without it.
Motherwell manager wants VAR binned
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has been asked about the VAR in Scottish football following the release of the latest review this week.
Speaking ahead of Motherwell’s match with Livingston, Kettlewell was pretty clear that he believes the technology should be binned.
Whilst VAR continues to polarise supporters, players, pundits, and managers alike, voices within Scottish football seem determined to insist that the technology isn’t working.
Even if the data shows that it actually is.
It’s worth noting that there’s a good bit of waffle in these comments and we’re not exactly sure what Kettlewell is trying to say.
“I knew it would never be perfect from day one,” said Kettlewell. “But I thought that incrementally we would start to see improvement and we would start to see those decisions.
“I always speak about creating a story. So once I come in as a football manager to Motherwell, from where we sit today from where I came in in the first place it’s going to be different.
“Because once the ball starts to get rolling there’s incidents, you start to see player traits, you start to see characteristics of players.
“That starts to build a story and you start to work off the back of that.
“I’m not so sure that from the incidents we’ve seen and all the different things that we’ve seen that there has been a dramatic change and improvement within that.
“So you’re asking me the question ‘am I for it now as I sit here?’ I think we would all enjoy it a heck of a lot better without it.”
Rangers boss Clement defends VAR
Just like Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell, Rangers counterpart Philippe Clement is never shy to speak his mind and hasn’t been on VAR.
So when the Ibrox gaffer was asked about Kettlewell’s comments, it’s clear the Rangers manager respectfully disagrees.
And he’s likely not the only one given that, whether Kettlewell or anyone else doesn’t like it, the technology is here to stay across football.
For Philippe Clement, rather than complaining about VAR we should be trying to improve it.
The Rangers manager is also a lot more coherent in his argument for the continued use of VAR in Scottish football.
“I totally don’t agree with (Stuart Kettlewell),” said Clement, speaking ahead of the clash with Kilmarnock.
“I think this week or last week there was the report about VAR.
“If you see that the moments that VAR made a mistake that Rangers was most involved, most mistakes (were) against us this season.
“But that doesn’t change my idea, totally not, totally not.
“I think there will always be a gray zone in decision-making. There will always be some subjectivity.
“But because of VAR there are less mistakes made than in the past. Nobody can deny that.
“Yeah but of course in moments it kills your excitement that you score a goal then you need to wait.
“But I prefer that than to have three, five, ten more bad decisions during a season. I want as much as possible an honest game and the right decisions.
“Will it be perfect? It will never be because it will be decided by human beings who need to make a decision.
“Then also, not only that, some rules are not totally objective and it’s impossible also to make everything totally objective.
“For example the handball rule, I think it’s something to discuss, it’s another thing.
“But I think VAR made the game more honest so I will never be against it.
“Although we had the least advantage or the most disadvantage out of it this season, clearly, but still my decision stays the same about that.
“And I think everybody needs to see it that way. I think if you stop with VAR then after a few months everybody would say ‘the referee missed that, how is that possible, with VAR they would’ve seen it’.
“So then you have the opposite side again so no I am totally, totally pro-VAR but I think it’s important to keep on working on it.
“Like we need to work with players on making things better, to make better protocols, to make it more clear towards managers, towards players, towards fans also, what is the decision-making, why all those things.
“And then more people will be pro-VAR I think.”
