If any good is to come of the accusation, insinuation and innuendo that has emanated from Celtic's Scottish Cup semi-final exit it may, on the evidence of yesterday's briefings in Lennoxtown, come in the form of increasingly influential support for the introduction of technology to improve the quality of football's decision making.

 

The champions are hurting deeply as a result of their latest failure to win a domestic treble in Rangers' absence from the top flight and naturally the inclination among many who side with them has been to lash out angrily.

However there is nothing they can do to change what has happened making it far more useful to ensure that situations such as Sunday's, when Josh Meekings got away with the blatant handball which prevented a penalty that could have put Celtic 2-0 in front and should have seen Inverness reduced to 10 men, never happen again.

To that end John Collins, their assistant manager and Gary Mackay-Steven, their midfielder who was cup tied so helpless as his team-mates subsequently lost 3-2 after extra time having themselves been reduced to 10 men, were of one mind at the club's training ground yesterday when discussing the need to let officials scrutinise key decisions via TV replays.

"I think I'd be in favour of it," said the player, who looks set to be recalled for tonight's trip to Dundee.

"It becomes a big talking point when a decision goes for or against your team. Referees have such a hard job nowadays.

"Things happen in a split second. Video technology would probably help them as well.

"I'd probably be for it but we don't have it just now so we just have to trust the referee. They do a great job most of the time."

Opposition to wider use of replays than the goal-line technology that is being increasingly implemented focuses on the way in which what is a free-flowing game would be interrupted.

However learning lessons from other sports could see an American Football/cricket-style challenge system place the onus on managers to decide when they want decisions reviewed with a short time limit to make appeals, with the right to make further ones lost if they are wrong, thereby shifting the pressure away from match officials and onto those most likely to complain, while minimising additional stoppages.

However it was done, though, Mackay-Steven reckons it would be better to be right more often.

"I think the time it takes to use technology is a price worth paying," he said.

"Then you know that you are winning or losing fair and square and there aren't these talking points after games."

Collins - who could have been forgiven for cursing Ronny Deila, his boss, for the hospital pass of asking him to face the press with this particular subject topping the agenda - had to put his hands up and admit to being bang to rights when reminded that he had seemed less bothered about such incidents when he got away with a similar offence during Scotland's 0-0 draw with Holland at Euro '96.

"You're right, I could have been sent off," he acknowledged.

"That's football, isn't it? He didn't see it or he would have given it."

Yet he still is in no doubt that change is long overdue.

"In the box, I'm for video evidence 100%. Why? It helps the referee, it helps managers and it helps players," he said.

"What are the two words we keep hearing? Fair play. It would become fairer because you have the camera. For me it's a no-brainer.

"I don't know what it will take for video evidence to be introduced. That's for the governing body to decide, but I think it would be better for football going forward, especially with modern technology.

"In the old days, it would have taken time but now with the new cameras, you'd get a decision in five seconds."

On the subject of fair play Collins also believes it is time to revisit the imposition of double indemnity on goal-keepers who face the sanction of conceding a penalty and being sent off when fouling players who have scoring opportunities, as Celtic's Craig Gordon was on Sunday.

"I don't think that's a good ruling," he said.

"A goalkeeper comes to take the ball, misses it by a split second and takes the player and it's a penalty and a red card.

"I'm not saying it just because it happened to us on Sunday. I feel the same when goalkeepers are sent off against us."

His argument would, of course, be rather stronger if he was making it when key decisions in a match had gone Celtic's way, but at least Collins acknowledged that there have been times when they have benefitted from blunders by match officials.

"I think there's no doubt that a fact," he said.

"Some months (sic) you get the decisions, some you don't."

Perhaps he and others at the club will remember to say so next time they get lucky.

After all, it may be rather too much to hope for that football will ever get to the stage where, as in other sports, players and officials turn decisions in their favour down due to a sense of fair play, but as with calls for increased use of technology, a reasonable challenge to all concerned may be to try to establish more consistency in what they say they are looking for when it comes to making the big decisions.