Aberdeen brand VAR unsuitable for purpose after Hawkeye failure for disallowed goal against Livingston

Aberdeen have called Scotland’s version of VAR as “not suitable for purpose” after “the Hawkeye system failed” against Livingston on Saturday.

But Aberdeen claim the Scottish FA has admitted that video assistant referees overruled on-field officials despite having no “reliable calibrated lines”.

And they say the governing body has launched its own investigation.

The Pittodrie club’s statement follows a meeting with the SFA at which they had “an opportunity to see and hear the transcripts relating to Saturday’s disallowed goal” in the Scottish Premiership.

They say VAR officials had to resort to “a freeze frame” that did not allow them to decide “with the normal degree of certainty” whether MacDonald was offside in the lead-up to Bojan Miovski’s stoppage-time strike.

Aberdeen say that, while this is allowed within VAR protocols, “the Scottish FA accepted there is no conceivable way the VAR could tell definitively the deepest position of Livingston midfielder Daniel McKay’s body”.

McKay’s body, they say, “is completely obscured from view” and the Hawkeye failure meant there were no on-pitch “markers”.

Aberdeen say that, until now, they have preferred to make any complaints about VAR private and that they will continue to work behind the scenes to help improve the system.

However, they add: “What this situation demonstrates, in our opinion, is that the version of VAR that Scottish football has, or more accurately, can afford, is not suitable for the purpose in which it is intended.

“It perfectly highlights the limitations in the technology, the inappropriate implementation, the consistency of decision-making and the negative impact on the overall experience for the match-going supporter.”

BBC Scotland has approached the SFA for comment.