VAR officials need to make decisions faster, according to Keith Hackett, following a contentious incident during Celtic’s 4-1 victory over Ross County.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee exclusively told Football Insider that delays like the one in Sunday’s match undermine fan trust in the VAR process.
While Hackett acknowledged the penalty awarded to Celtic was the correct call, he argued the lengthy review process was unnecessary and frustrating for supporters.
Celtic Made to Wait for Key Penalty Decision
Celtic took a 1-0 lead into half-time thanks to Kyogo Furuhashi, but Ross County equalized from the penalty spot on the hour mark. With ten minutes left, Furuhashi restored Celtic’s lead by heading in an Arne Engels cross.
Deep into stoppage time, Celtic were awarded a penalty after Yang Hyun-Jun collided with Ross County’s James Brown inside the box. However, the decision came only after a four-minute VAR review, leaving players and fans waiting.
Hackett believes the delay was excessive, even if the correct decision was ultimately reached.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett said:
“This is a clear foul and I can firstly understand why it was not given by the referee immediately because he did not have a clear view of the foul.
“Fortunately VAR is in operation and there is pressure on the match officials to deliver the correct decision.
“It was evident to me that this was a clear foul, a careless challenge that should on review have been given immediately in the first viewing on the monitor.
“A four-minute delay in reaching the decision puts in doubt the outcome. The VAR process must deliver decisions in a quicker time to get fans to ‘buy in’.”
Engels Converts After Re-Take
Arne Engels stepped up to take the penalty, but his initial effort was saved by Jordan Amissah. However, the Ross County goalkeeper was deemed to have come off his line too early, and Engels scored on the re-take to make it 3-1.
Luke McCowan added a late fourth goal for Celtic, rounding off an emphatic victory.
Celtic’s Dominance in the League
The win puts Celtic 18 points ahead of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership, although they have played one more game.
As Brendan Rodgers’ side continues to dominate, questions remain about how VAR can improve its efficiency and ensure smoother decision-making in the future.
