Andy Walker reckons Scottish football has bigger issues to address than the length of the touchline ban Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has been handed.
The Hoops manager found out his fate at a hearing today, and he is now set to miss the trip to face Livingston on Sunday as a consequence for calling out ‘incompetent’ refereeing earlier this month.
But the Northern Irishman will be back in the dugout for the huge Old Firm match with Rangers the following weekend.
That outcome has sparked mass debate, which is something former Celtic striker, Walker believes is taking the focus away from more pressing matters - such as the away fan lockout at Ibrox on April 7.
Asked for his opinion on the topic, Walker replied: "The big embarrassment will be when we go to Ibrox and there's no away fans. And then a few weeks later, we'll have a game at Celtic Park with no away fans. Both clubs are a huge embarrassment getting into that position.
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"I wouldn't overplay the status of a manager on a matchday. I think the worst thing Brendan Rodgers would miss would be the half-time involvement, where obviously you've had your 45 minutes and you might want to tweak one or two things. I played in Old Firm games where Billy McNeill sat in the director's box, all the preparation was done during the week. We didn't really need to look over.
"This whole one or two game ban, it's a non-story. There's a much bigger picture about VAR and the use of VAR. Celtic, it would have been great if they'd come out and said they were going to have a meeting with all the clubs, and the SFA, and the head of referees, and try to make things better.
"If you remember recently, all the clubs were concerned about the handballs. It seemed to work really well for a month or six weeks, and then we've gone back and simplified it. And we've gone back to the madness. That, in my view, is the much bigger story."
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The conversation went on with Walker reiterating that a poor decision from VAR could determine a teams fate at both ends of the league table.
Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, he continued: "I've spoke to several clubs who aren't happy about it. I've heard David Martindale talking about it, I've heard Derek McInnes talking about it.
"So, we are really heading into the business end of the season and I have got absolutely no doubt we will have a horrific decision that will lead to huge controversy. Whether that be relegation, top six, qualifying for Europe or indeed the title."
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