VAR has certainly been under the spotlight this week. Especially where Celtic have been concerned.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have benefitted and suffered from contentious decisions made by the video referee this week and when former Rangers striker, Kenny Miller, was asked to pick a decision that irked him, guess which one he chose?
Was it the Daizen Maeda red card in the Champions League? Or maybe even Marcus Rashford’s red card or the penalty that was given against Harry McGuire for a handball against FC Copenhagen?
No, don’t be silly. Miller decided to use the red card given to Ross County’s James Brown for the ankle-high challenge on Celtic winger, Hyunjun Yang.
And it led to this incredible exchange between Miller, host Gordon Duncan and fellow pundit, Hugh Keevins on Clyde SSB.
Miller: “For instance, the Celtic v Ross County one, James Brown is allowed to try and tackle that. And by the way, Yang is also allowed to nick in there first with the toe to just nick it.
“And where the ball was, his ankle is now and that’s where the contact is. Is it a red card? And you know what, there might be a million people who think it is, I don’t think it is.
“I think is really, really harsh.”
Duncan: “I’m surprised you’ve gone for that one. I feel as though there are more debatable ones recently.
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I think once you catch him so high you definitely tick that endangering an opponent box.”
Miller: “It is high? The ankle? On the ankle? Was that high?”
Duncan: “I think James Brown was pretty high. Hugh?”
Miller: “I’m not sure.”
Keevins: “For me, Brown was a certain red card. I said it at the time.”
Miller: “I’m not sure.”
It was dangerous, it was high, it was reckless. There is no doubt that Brown deserved his red card and I haven’t seen anyone disagree otherwise.
Indeed, Brown has previous of these kinds of reckless challenges. Back in September, he was lucky to escape a red card when he went in for a challenge, over the ball, against Aberdeen’s Johnny Hayes.
The fact that Miller chose a decision that actually benefitted Celtic and didn’t highlight one of the many contentious VAR decisions his old club have had this season is very telling indeed.
In other news, Predicted Celtic XI vs Aberdeen… Brendan Rodgers to make two changes, ‘Exciting’ 24-year-old starts