Celtic legend Kenny Dalglish has called for referees Nick Walsh and John Beaton to be at the top of their game as the Hoops take on Rangers this weekend in the Viaplay Cup final.
The Liverpool icon knows all about the fixture having played in a number of them while part of Jock Stein’s team for 8 years.
VAR took centre stage in the last derby match which Beaton took charge of as Celtic had to grab a late equaliser to end the tie square after the league leaders were denied a penalty after Carl Starfelt’s shot was blocked by Connor Goldson’s two hands.
Dalglish has questioned whether or not the technology is up to scratch in Scotland and whether there is clear transparency coming from the decision makers.
This match will be the first time that VAR will be used in a national cup final as Nick Walsh takes charge in middle while Beaton oversees VAR decisions meaning that their performance will be even further scrutinised.
Both sides head into the cup final in fine form and Dalglish wants football to be the main talking point rather than poor refereeing.
“I just hope there are fewer controversies in the weeks ahead as we reach the business end of the season,” said Dalglish in his column in the [Sunday Post].
“Next weekend is the League Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers. Nick Walsh is the match referee and John Beaton is the VAR. Both have had their difficulties this season but they need to be bang on in the Old Firm game. They need to bring their A-game to Hampden.
“I am in favour of VAR and I want to see it remain in the game. It is here to help our officials, not embarrass them. But technology isn’t the problem. The problems are arising from the humans making the decisions. It needs to be better
“I also wish they could speed up the decision-making process. It’s taking far too long, sometimes three or four minutes. That’s totally unacceptable. So, still lots of work to be done. Everyone must do better.”
Whether Celtic triumph or not in the final, many would rather that there is a focus on the football after the match concludes.
