VAR double standards? Celtic’s Yang sent off, rangers’ Barron plays on

Even if they are uncommon, there are occasions when I don’t like the idea of bringing up isolated instances from months ago to illustrate a point. Football moves quickly, refereeing is complicated, and sometimes reflecting on the past doesn’t lead to new insights. However, Scottish football’s inconsistent implementation of the rules and VAR’s erratic swing between strictness and tolerance once again showed up on Sunday at Ibrox.

Let’s lay it bare: in April, Celtic’s Yang Hyun-jun was issued a yellow for a high boot when they were amid a close title battle at Tynecastle. A yellow, initially. But the VAR screen was then consulted, and suddenly yellow was out, red was in, and Yang was off. His “serious foul play” infraction, as per IFAB guidelines, apparently met the criteria for a straight red. Never mind that Yang, in his attempt to control the ball, wasn’t moving in on Hearts’ Alex Cochrane; it was Cochrane who came into the sphere of Yang’s boot, which, though admittedly close to his head, didn’t make contact. However, according to IFAB’s letter of the law, the potential to endanger Cochrane’s safety justified Yang’s early exit and a two-game suspension. Celtic’s appeal was thrown out, and we had to swallow that,

This past Sunday, Rangers’ Connor Barron was involved in a strikingly identical situation at Ibrox; if anything, the incident had considerably more potential for disaster. In contrast to Yang, Barron was sprinting for the player from St. Mirren with his studs up and a leg swung high at head height. Risky? Of course. Putting his opponent in danger? Of course. Nevertheless, there was no card, no whistle, and not even a quick look from VAR. Rangers resumed with 11 men on the field while Barron continued to play without interruption.

Although the disparities in the application of “serious foul play” would be frustrating in and of itself, the problem here is more than just technical. It has to do with justice. The consequences of that Tynecastle red card could have been devastating for Celtic and Brendan Rodgers, but we were informed that the right choice was made. So why did Ibrox make the wrong choice on Sunday?

Simply put, consistency is the key here. The whole purpose of VAR is negligible without it. The goalposts can’t keep moving when it comes to VAR, a technique meant to eliminate referee errors. Football fans are aware that referees are human and make mistakes. Officials have a responsibility to close the gap between the rulebook and common sense, even though IFAB rules may allow for interpretation. By definition, dangerous play ought to be assessed similarly, irrespective of the person posing the challenge.

It’s difficult for fans to not worry where this will lead. What’s the point of this? Are certain gamers subject to more stringent accounts while others are granted more leeway? Or worse, are VAR and its officials selectively intervening in certain situations that we are unaware of? The officiating system’s credibility is called into question by the striking similarities between Barron’s unpunished high boot and Yang’s penalized one.

Since becoming head of referees, Willie Collum has received acclaim for being more open and honest. compiling a weekly summary of the most controversial choices made during the week. We would like a detailed explanation of why Yang had to walk earlier this year and why VAR missed this, but Barron was fine with walking