As Rangers were awarded two penalty kicks against St Johnstone, you could almost instantly hear the VAR conspiracists clanging their keyboards.
Forget the fact that both were stonewall penalty kicks, one for a late lunge on Dujon Sterling and the other for the clearest handball you might ever see, rational thinking isn’t allowed in the manic world of Scottish Premiership football.
But whilst the usual suspects bleat and moan about the correct application of the rules, the fact both penalty kicks weren’t awarded until VAR intervened is a bigger cause for concern at Ibrox.
Craig Levein has since rued the fact VAR awarded the spot kicks with minorly irritating soundbites which have not been – and will not be – taken seriously.
But the fact remains that without the technology’s intervention, Rangers would’ve been victim of a double refereeing injustice v St Johnstone.
As it transpires, Rangers went on to win the game 3-0 and top the Scottish Premiership.
Referees avoiding Rangers penalty risk?
The pressure on referees surrounding big decisions on Rangers is as immense as it has ever been.
Bleating conspiracies about penalty kicks have been so far inflamed that every Rangers spot kick call, at either end of the pitch, is forensically analysed.
And not just by the Twitter conspiracy theorists either; Sky Sports have a penchant for exaggerating every Rangers call on their coverage.
It’s a culture which has popped up around the game and persists despite every rational argument to the contrary, such as the fact Celtic have actually been awarded the most penalty kicks this season (12) or that they are the only team in the division yet to have a spot kick awarded against them.
But the suggestion that referees are now so hesitant to properly apply rules in real time due to the safety net of VAR gives rise to fears that the cries of Rangers conspiracy are freezing referees stiff.
VAR rescues whistler’s reputation v St Johnstone
Let’s get it straight here; Rangers and Celtic are going to get more penalties than anyone else because they have more possession in the box than the other sides. It is simple logic.
The suggestion there is a conspiracy is insulting to not only the intelligence of football fans – anyone who truly believes it isn’t to be taken seriously – but also to the professionalism of our under pressure referees.
VAR is supposed to be there to assist referees in their decision-making, not to make decisions for them, and it is a truly ominous sign that referee Matthew MacDermid had to twice be called to the monitor to properly apply the rules.
The situation stands as startling evidence that VAR is a good thing for Scottish football, with the post-match inquest enough to force the man in the booth into action each time there’s a mistake.
But if we’re going to talk about the standard of the nation’s referees, then surely the Rangers penalty hesitation speaks volumes either about their ability, or their fear, when it comes to getting these decisions correct.
