VAR to be introduced in Scottish Premiership from December after SPFL clubs vote in favour

A "staggered start" for VAR in the Scottish Premiership next season is the best practical solution, says SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster.

All but one of the 42 SPFL clubs backed the introduction of video assistant referees at a vote on Tuesday.

But the system is set to be launched mid-campaign when the league resumes in December after the World Cup.

"Ideally, you'd want it at the start of the season, but it simply wouldn't have been ready," said Doncaster.

"You could have taken the view that you could wait until season '23-24, but there was a desire to bring VAR in as soon as it could reasonably [happen].

"Other leagues have done the same with staggered starts to VAR - the Polish and Czech leagues."

The total cost of £1.2m per season is to be met by the 12 clubs on a sliding scale, with the Premiership winners paying around £195,000 and the 12th-place team £67,000.

However, Doncaster says the SPFL and Scottish FA aim to "drive down the cost and ensure we get a value-for-money solution without compromising the quality of VAR decisions".

The resolution required 75% of Premiership clubs, 75% of Championship and 75% of Leagues 1 and 2 combined to vote in favour.

The Hawkeye Innovations System, which is in place in the English top flight and other European leagues, is the technology the Premiership will use. It will be installed at the 12 grounds in the coming months.

The SPFL also plans to use VAR in the League Cup semi-finals and final in January and February 2023.

"We took the view not to be early adopters," added Doncaster, who indicated that the one vote against came from a Championship club.

"I think that decision has been borne out - there have been issues with the decision making using the technology elsewhere.

"The view is that getting more of the big decisions correct outweighed the drawbacks."

A number of VAR trials have already taken place at under-age matches with more scheduled over the next few weeks.

On a lack of dialogue with match-going supporters over the technology's introduction, Doncaster said clubs had voted after carrying out "fairly detailed consultation exercises" with their fans.

Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell, meanwhile, said the "the benefits of VAR are clear" and the technology will be a "key part of Scottish football's future".

Who will pay?

Premiership clubs will pay the following percentage of the full cost depending on their league position.

VAR training for referees has been carried out through the SFA.

How will it work?

The SFA system will be a mirror image of that already used in competitions run by world governing body Fifa, with the principle of "minimum interference, maximum benefit."

All video assistant referees will be current or recently retired Category 1 officials, with the help of a minimum of six manned cameras in each game.

The question the VAR will ask is not "has the right decision been reached?" but "has the referee or his assistant made an obvious error?" and/or "has the referee missed a serious incident?".

VAR can intervene in seven areas:

1. For penalty box decisions/penalty kick or possible penalty kick offences.

2. For goals scored - all goals scored, and the build up to the goal being scored, are checked under VAR.

3. For straight red card offences, such as violent conduct and the denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity.

4. For serious misapplications of the laws - such as a goal scored direct from a dropped ball or throw in.

5. For cases of mistaken identity.

6. At the taking of a penalty kick and at kicks from the penalty mark (e.g., for encroachment or goalkeeper moving from the goalline.)

7. For serious, missed incidents in matches.

VAR will not intervene to ensure a player is booked for what may be seen as a reckless tackle, for faulty restarts of play, or to award a foul and a free-kick.