2016 was when VAR started appearing in the big leagues in football, Italy’s Serie A pioneering it in Europe, before the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and the Premier League followed suit.

In fact, the lion’s share of backwater leagues even now have the technology, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kosovo, and, we kid you not, the throbbing epicentre of football that is Botola of Morocco.

In short, almost every league that matters.

Except Scotland. Of course except Scotland.

A supposed first-world nation of a healthy 6M people and our national league containing two of Europe’s biggest clubs remains 5 years behind football by still not having VAR.

Only now, at long last are discussions finally taking place today to install the system, with the genuine possibility that from next season, we will eventually leave Scotland’s stoneage behind and get with the 21st century by having it.

It is quite simply absolutely preposterous that smaller countries with less cash and less population and even lesser leagues than our own shambolic SPL already have this tech, and we lag this far behind, but that’s Scotland for you.

Do we endorse video tech?

Yes, yes we do.

What we appreciate about this tech is that at contentious moments which go to review, the referee is seeing the same evidence you and I are – if they make a call we disagree with, all we can do is respect their decision and accept it, because they’ve seen the same evidence.

At that point it becomes a judgment call.

Up till now we’ve whined at refs for getting it wrong in the heat of the moment when replays show what they may have missed.

That excuse is gone now.

And it’s essential Scotland’s clubs agree to bring the tech in ASAP.

It doesn’t get everything right, and we’ll still argue about controversial moments, but at least the evidence will now be there to arm referees with a better chance of less mistakes.

And we’re all for that.