Kris Boyd fizzes at VAR independent review panel and demands names of judges in transparency rant

Fizzing Kris Boyd has demanded the VAR independent review participants are named for further transparency.

The Rangers hero was on Sky Sports punditry duties at Ibrox this weekend as Gers managed a 4-1 win over Kilmarnock. It was a comfortable victory at first glance but early in the action was overtaken by referee David Dickinson and VAR with penalty decisions and a controversial red card call against Joe Wright for a handball on the line. It was another dramatic day where the technology was concerned and that followed the publishing of the review last week where a number of "mistakes" were outlined.

Boyd took aim at the lack of transparency where those on the panel are concerned and he insisted it's time for those judges to "front up" just like he and his fellow pundits do every weekend.

"When you look at the VAR independent review panel, it's annoying me that people can sit behind something and make decisions on these clips and things? Why are they not being named? Why is it being hidden?" he said.

"We're all about transparency. You know what it's like, as soon as it comes out that you've had decisions against you, it all kicks off. So why are these people able to sit behind a desk and nobody knows who you are? It's not right. They should be named. We're able to sit here and say what we want, because we front up to it. There's people sitting having influence on Scottish football, and nobody knows who they are. They won't be doing it for nothing, they'll be getting paid to do it.

"The players and managers know, but it's the fans. The fans will just look at their team and think they are hard done by. Rangers blue blood, Celtic green blood, that's all they focus on, that is it. We (pundits) have got to front up. I'll get pelters when I leave here. There's people on that panel that are having an influence on people within the stadiums, whether it's referees, who are feeling the aggression from fans who think their team is hard done by. It's not right.

"Offside is black and white. There's other things open to debate. But if it's open to debate, it can't be clear and obvious. We were told that VAR was going to come in for clear and obvious decisions. So if there is a handball on the line that the referee has missed, fair enough. But some of the things they get sent to the monitor for...it's a waste of time. Imagine paying what you are paying to come here to sit for three or four minutes and wait on a decision?

"We've got full-time VAR referees. What are they doing? Where are they? We need elite officials for these big games. It's not good enough. We're going to have to find a way to get better officials on the pitch and in the VAR room. It's not good enough."