The Celtic manager has had enough of the video technology following the defeat to Hibs last Sunday and doesn’t hold back
17:59, 25 Feb 2026Updated 19:55, 25 Feb 2026
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill during his side’s defeat to Hibs(Image: Mark Runnacles/Shutterstock)
Martin O’Neill has let rip at VAR after Auston Trusty‘s appeal was thrown out by the SFA, writes Ryan McDonald in Stuttgart.
Celtic stopper Trusty will miss the next three games after his red card against Hibs was upheld. And delivering his reaction to Trusty’s ban, O’Neill said: “I did the interview after the game and someone asked me if we were going to appeal it.
“I thought I wasn’t sure about it, appeals this day seem to be worthless. But when I get the information coming back and what’s been said on VAR, I thought absolutely.
“The referee has seen the incident, he’s watching it. When he’s asked by a very excited man on VAR, saying delay, delay, delay.
“They ask him and he says it’s nothing. But then he has to trot over and change his mind. It’s ridiculous. In time, we won’t need a referee. VAR will do it from wherever they’re doing it from.
“They’ve asked the referee to overturn something that he’s actually seen. It’s not as if he’s missed the incident. He actually says ‘it’s nothing’. So I’ve got a player that’s missing three games. Of course they are re-reffing games. It’s such a nonsense.
“When the referee sees the incident himself, what he’s been asked is ‘you didn’t see that, you saw something else’. That’s got to be debilitating for a referee. It’s got to be.”
O’Neill is sweating on the fitness of Julian Araujo ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm showdown at Ibrox.
The Mexican full back has not travelled to Germany for tomorrow night’s Europa League play-off second leg clash with Stuttgart.
O’Neill admitted Celts are facing a huge task to overturn last week’s 4-1 first leg defeat in Glasgow – and are gearing up for a colossal derby encounter this weekend.
The Hoops boss is considering several changes but he insisted Celts won’t be a weakened team.
He said: “We’ll make decisions on the team tomorrow. We have some travelling fans who has spent money to be here and we owe it to them. Julian (Araujo) has stayed at home but the rest are here.
“A weakened side? We have got very decent players at the football club. They’ve all played in the first team so whoever we put out it won’t be a weekend team. There’s good competition for places.”
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