Credit: Imago

Mark Smith

Tue 10 March 2026 7:40, UK

Michael Stewart has been left scratching his head over the use of VAR in Rangers’ Scottish Cup defeat to Celtic on Sunday afternoon.

The Bears crashed to defeat on penalties in the quarter-finals at Ibrox, missing out on a ticket to Hampden Park and a showdown with St Mirren.

Danny Rohl’s side dominated proceedings once again, but were made to pay for their simple lack of creativity in the final third.

Rangers have now failed to beat Celtic in consecutive Old Firms they have dominated, which could shut down the season entirely.

Nasser Djiga escapes VAR drama at Rangers

Liam Scales was adjudged offside in the first half before Daizen Maeda thought he had opened the scoring, but the still image of VAR appeared to draw a line on the wrong Rangers defender.

Speaking on the Scottish Football Social Club for Premier Sports, Stewart was not left confident by the process, even if it did still appear to be correct.

“No,” he said when asked if it looked right.

“I think I said it in the studio, when you look at a monitor that is 10-15 feet away and it’s not like a phone that you can zoom in on, it’s difficult.

“You just look at it, and it’s all about trust. You’ve got to trust the lines are in the right place, but my gut is, I think Scales is offside, but Djiga, who is the deepest Rangers defender, the line is not drawn on him.

“His left shoulder, for me, appeared to be the deepest part of a Rangers defender. I think he would still be offside, but those lines just don’t look right.”

VAR drama least of Scottish FA worries

All of the media reaction was, rightly, focused on Rangers and Celtic fans clashing on the pitch following the conclusion of penalties.

VAR in Scotland has never been correctly used, and it’s clear that the technology isn’t up to scratch, or the officials using it simply need more training.

Djiga came back into the side for John Souttar, and the Wolves loanee did impress at the back alongside Emmanuel Fernandez.

The added athleticism and speed thwarted Celtic for 120 minutes, who never looked like scoring, and the issues were at the other end of the pitch for the Bears.

VAR will continue to be an issue in Scotland for as long as it isn’t improved, with there being nowhere near enough camera angles to even line up possible offsides.

Djiga may have been the deepest Rangers defender, but if the officials aren’t given the tools they need, there will continue to be contentious decisions that nobody can change.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Govan.