sports
February 25, 2026
Martin O’Neill claims VAR ‘debilitating’ for officials after Celtic fail with red card appeal
Celtic’s manager, Martin O’Neill, has delivered a withering assessment of VAR in Scottish football after what he called the “ridiculous” dismissal of Auston Trusty during Sunday’s loss by Hibernian.

TL;DR
- Martin O’Neill calls the dismissal of Auston Trusty "ridiculous" and "debilitating" for referees.
- Trusty's red card will cause him to miss three crucial Scottish Premiership games, including the Old Firm derby.
- O’Neill argues that VAR should only be used for incidents referees have missed, not to re-referee something they've seen.
- He questions the current form of VAR in Scotland, not the basic concept.
- Celtic faces Stuttgart in the Europa League with a significant first-leg deficit.
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