SOME people only see what they want to see.
It’s a waste of valuable time attempting to debate a salient point with an individual cursed with a condition politely recognised as tunnel vision, an affliction where a character is so focused on what they believe they are witnessing that they fail to consider any other alternative choices.
VAR official Alan Muir wiped out a Daizen Maeda effort to deny Celtic a second goal which would have made it 2-2 against Hibs at Easter Road yesterday with seven minutes still to play, plus stoppage-time.
The technical guru must have been convinced it was illegal.
Sitting in front of multi screens in the Glasgow office, he spied something that was missed by referee Steven McLean and his main standside assistant David Roome who both deemed the goal good after the prolific forward had pounced on a spill from keeper Jordon Smith following a low cross from Alistair Johnston on the byline.
IN OR OUT? Alistair Johnston prepares to send over the cross.
It was a tight call, but the onfield official and his linesman saw nothing wrong and the goal was duly awarded.
There was no clear and obvious error and there was absolutely no requirement for VAR to get involved, but Muir had other thoughts on the subject.
It was exactly 82 minutes 38 seconds when Maeda fired the ball into the net.
It was 84 minutes and 10 seconds when McLean was informed it was not a goal – the ball was “factually out,” according to the ref – so there was no requirement for him to review the incident on the touchline monitor.
Why did it take Muir and his VAR team so long to make the determination after they had so abruptly interrupted proceedings?
You might even say they had acted with indecent haste.
There had been no clear and obvious error.
There was no need for the intervention of Muir.
Brendan Rodgers can demand that the SFA provide hard evidence of the ball being over the line before Johnston managed to get in his cross.
He must realise he is wasting his time.
The Celtic manager will not receive such irrefutable proof from Scottish football’s ruling body for one very good reason: they will never be in a position to provide such verification.
There is none.
MAKING A POINT…Brendan Rodgers speaks to referee Steven McLean at full-time.
Without goal-line technology, the call was made on the say-so of one individual and the champions were condemned to their second league defeat of the season.
Muir doesn’t have to explain himself. He can stick by what he believes he saw until the cows come home.
However, there is absolutely no way the official can prove the ball was out. That being the case, the goal should have stood.
For Celtic to be punished in such a manner is simply ludicrous. Harsh doesn’t cover it.
The decision made me think of a flashpoint incident during the Japan v Spain World Cup match in December 2022 in Qatar.
Coincidentally, Maeda was in the Japanese side that triumphed 2-1 on that occasion. Ao Tanaka hit the decisive goal following a ball over from the left touchline by Kaoru Mitoma.
The Spanish contingent and a fair percentage of observers believed the ball had gone out of play before the cross was delivered. The referee initially ruled out the strike before VAR, utilising goal-line technology, proved that not all of the ball had crossed the line.
FIFA stepped in to confirm the goal was good and produced a video to prove conclusively the entire ball had not gone out of play.
Have a look for yourself here.
The film emphasised that some views can be misleading. During the game, and following a lengthy VAR review, the goal was given, sparking heated debates as different TV angles were produced in an attempt to discern exactly where the ball was in relation to the line.
It was a crucial strike that earned Maeda and Co top spot in Group E, sealing Germany’s early elimination in the process.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF VAR OFFICIALS…this is FIFA’s directive to state a ball is in play.
We can’t overlook it took a few minutes to make the final decision – and that is taking into account they were afforded the sport’s most sophisticated technology during the most important football competition on the planet.
Unfortunately, Scottish football does not have such state-of-the-art equipment and, as was shown in Edinburgh yesterday, we are forced to rely on what one person believes he has seen.
Clearly, that cannot be right.
An individual must be able to prove his conclusion. There must be uncontestable facts to back up such a call.
I will be utterly astounded if Muir or the SFA somehow, from somewhere, are able to provide such tangible verification.
The goal was valid. You, I and the family cat know that.
And we will never be proved wrong.
ALEX GORDON
