Simon Jordan gives verdict on Scottish Premiership VAR, tells Rangers to vote against plans
Simon Jordan believes Rangers and Celtic should vote against the Scottish Premiership’s VAR plans because they don’t ‘seem fair’ to them financially.
The 42 clubs in Scotland are set to vote on plans to introduce VAR into the game from next season, with the top two Premiership sides making the highest payment towards the expected £1.4million annual bill – with the winners paying 16.29 per cent (~£224,000) and the runners-up 11.67 (~£154,000) per cent [BBC Scotland].
While Rangers are firmly in favour of bringing in VAR to the league after several decisions going against them this season, Jordan told talkSPORT [April 12, 11:36] he believes it’s wrong to make them pay more just because they’re richer and more successful.
“It’s difficult to make a case for somebody to pay something for someone else,” he said.
“Celtic and Rangers are commercial businesses, who have their own cost base and cost implications, their own ups and their own downs.
“The feel that they are in part responsible for distributing wealth or distributing opportunities down doesn’t feel right. It feels like an element of socialism gone mad.
“I find it difficult to adjudicate on the basis that that two teams, just because they’re successful and have large fan bases should somehow pay for other football clubs, to have something to advance those football clubs or for those football clubs to benefit of something they should be able to pay for themselves.
“Why have they got to pay for VAR at Pittodrie? Why have they got to pay for it at Fir Park? Why have they got to pay for it at other people’s stadiums? Because they’ve got the money, they want the benefit of VAR.
“It doesn’t seem particularly fair. It doesn’t seem based on merit. I think everyone should pay for what they get.”
Correct
It’s about time someone stood up for the Old Firm when it comes to the financial decisions being made against them to benefit everyone else.
While Rangers are largely successful and earn more money than the other clubs below them, that isn’t their fault and they shouldn’t be tasked with covering costs of things for others.
Rangers have their own costs to cover and wages to pay, and when they were going bust ten years ago there was nobody queueing up to help them out of trouble.
VAR would be of great benefit to the Scottish Premiership and by virtue that means Rangers and Celtic as teams who attack more will benefit too.
If they want it they should put the money up to get it, but it’s unfair to task them with paying for everyone else too. The SFA should be the ones incurring the charge to put it in at every club, because it improves the game as a whole.
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