Premiership clubs will hold a meeting next Friday to discuss the possible introduction of VAR to matches in the Scottish top flight and the latter stages of domestic cup competitions.
The meeting, which will be co-hosted by the Scottish FA and SPFL at Hampden Park, will involve a presentation from vastly-experienced former Premier League referee Howard Webb.
Englishman Webb is general manager of the professional referee organisation in Major League Soccer and was initially in charge of implementing VAR in the United States.
The Scottish senior referees’ association are in favour of VAR being implemented, while the Scottish FA are prepared to underwrite the training costs for match officials.
The SPFL will use next week’s video conference to establish the views of all 12 Premiership clubs.
Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “VAR has been under discussion by the Scottish FA’s Professional Game Board since its introduction into the Laws of the Game in 2018. Scottish football took the view that it was be preferable to see the technology be refined, overcome inevitable teething problems and, naturally, become more cost-effective.
“VAR is here to stay and in a short period its implementation has advanced significantly, while its set-up and maintenance costs have reduced. We are now at the point where we need to discuss and ideally agree on its introduction into Scottish football.
“The Scottish FA believes it is necessary for the evolution of our domestic game, to provide additional support to our match officials and also to maximise their potential on the domestic, European and international stages.”
SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “Given the costs involved and the potential effects on the natural flow of the game, it was always a sensible decision to monitor the introduction of VAR in other competitions before considering implementation in the cinch Premiership.
“Now that there has been a meaningful bedding-in period in several leagues, now is a good time to look again at the benefits of the technology. We are keen to hear the views of the clubs, officials and fans and look forward to discussions over the next few months.”
