Martin O’Neill has criticised the current implementation of VAR in Scotland, warning that the technology risks sidelining match officials altogether after Celtic’s unsuccessful bid to overturn Auston Trusty’s red card against Hibs…
The centre-back was sent off following an incident with Hibs midfielder Jamie McGrath while the pair were jostling for position ahead of a Celtic corner, with referee Matthew MacDermid initially opting to speak to both players after seeing their tussle.
However, MacDermid was then directed to review the footage at the monitor, where replays appeared to show Trusty making contact with McGrath’s arm, leading to the American being dismissed for the second time in a month.
With the appeal rejected, Trusty is set to serve a three-game suspension beginning with Sunday’s Glasgow Derby clash at Ibrox, prompting O’Neill to express his frustration at losing a key defensive option during a decisive spell in the season.
Speaking via Celtic’s official YouTube channel, O’Neill said: “I did the interview after the game and someone asked if we were going to appeal. I thought, well I am really not sure about it because the appeals in this day and age are seemingly worthless. That’s not actually the case.”
“When I got the information coming back from the club on what has been said on VAR, I thought ‘absolutely.’ The referee, as he told me on Sunday, has seen the incident. It is not as if he hadn’t seen it, he is watching it.”
“When he is asked by a very excited man on VAR, saying ‘delay, delay, delay, delay,’ they ask him [the referee]and he says, ‘It’s nothing, I’m just going to have a word with the players.’ Then he has to trot over, to change his mind. It is ridiculous.”
‘In time we won’t need a referee’
Martin O’Neill on Celtic’s failed appeal to overturn Auston Trusty’s red card from Sunday’s defeat to Hibernian ⤵️#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/1iDOMwmy0l
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) February 25, 2026
O’Neill added: “All I am saying is, in time we won’t need a referee. VAR will do it from wherever they are doing it from, because that is what they did. They have asked the referee to overturn something that he has actually seen.”
“He has seen it, it is not as if he missed the incident which of course would be a different issue. He said it was nothing, ‘I’m going to have a word with the players.’ So, I have a player who is missing three games. Are they re-refereeing matches? Of course they are. It is such a nonsense.”
“I am all for people that missed something dramatic in a game, that constitutes something they should have a look at. But when a referee sees the incident himself then what he is being asked to do is, ‘no, you didn’t see that. You saw something else.’ That has got to be debilitating for a referee. It has got to be.”
🔊 LISTEN: “He’s asked by a very excited man on VAR to ‘delay, delay, delay’.
“It’s such a nonsense”
“In time we won’t need a referee. VAR will do it all… that’s what they do now.”
🍀 Martin O’Neill is angry over the VAR process that led to Auston Trusty’s red card. pic.twitter.com/ksRE8xdrM4
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) February 25, 2026
Conor Spence
It’s the officials Martin not the system as well we all know.
The ref could disregard if he wished.
Home game for Beaton this w/e.
Hail Hail.