Tam McManus cannot believe VAR drama at Ibrox as Rangers win v Partick Thistle
Rangers won 3-2 against Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup on Sunday (12 February) but the game was marred by VAR controversy and Tam McManus was far from impressed.
Writing his column for The Daily Record (14 February, page 46), McManus expressed “shock” at the VAR debacle and described it as “outright horror” as Partick Thistle were awarded a penalty in the 35th minute after Antonio Colak appeared to have handled the ball inside the box.
McManus suggests that VAR should not interfere with handball decisions given by the on-field referee, as a “can of worms” suddenly opens up when they watch an incident several times on the screen.
“Two Scottish Cup ties went ahead with VAR and five without at the weekend. And no prizes for guessing where all the controversy, shock and outright horror lay,” wrote McManus.
“And 99 per cent of debates surround handball decisions. There’s a simple solution for me. Don’t let VAR get involved in handball. Add it to the list of decisions that the video refs can’t push the button on. Once a ref gives or doesn’t give a penalty then get on with it.
“The Celtic and Partick Thistle penalties at the weekend were just the latest where the handball rule is causing bother rather than eradicating it. VAR was at the centre of both awards.
“I was surprised when David Munro was called to the monitor at Ibrox and even more shocked when he awarded the spot-kick for Thistle. Antonio Colak wasn’t even looking at the ball when it hit his hand from just a yard away.”
Nervy win
The Gers came from behind to secure their passage to the next round. Michael Beale’s side were sluggish in the first half, but the performance did improve after the break.
Colak, who was punished for handball, redeemed himself after he scored the equalizer. Malik Tillman added another in a bizarre circumstance, while James Sands scored the winner in the final stages of the game.
The beauty of the cup games lies in their unpredictability and Rangers could have suffered a shock defeat at Ibrox. However, the manner in which they fought back is encouraging to watch, as the unbeaten run continues under Beale.
McManus is probably right here. While technology should be used to make the game better, VAR shouldn’t interfere in cases of inconclusive decisions. It only makes the game complicated which could have been avoided.
The VAR is particularly useful in the cases of offside rules, but regarding handball incidents, it’s probably better to leave it to the on-pitch referee.
Rangers will have to shift their attention quickly to the league as they face Livingston in their next Scottish Premiership game on Saturday (18 February).
In other Rangers news, the Ibrox bank is set for a cash boost after a document emerged on Wednesday.