VAR official is OUT after Celtic and Rangers blunders as Willie Collum wields the axe in crisis talks

Alan Muir has left his role as a full-time VAR by 'mutual consent' after a meeting with ref bosses following high profile mistakes

Alan Muir's career as a full-time VAR is OVER after showdown talks with the Scottish Football Association.

The former category one whistler was promoted to the specialist role - along with Andrew Dallas and Greg Aitken - by Scottish refs chiefs Wllie Collum.

But following crisis talks with Collum and VAR manager Martin atkinson, Muir has now left his gig by 'mutual consent' according to the Herald.

Muir will continue as a referee's observer in future, but will no longer act as the eye in the sky at Clydesdale House after a number of high profile errors involving both Celtic and Rangers.

Back in October, Daizen Maeda had a goal ruled out away to Motherwell for handball. However, after a review by the SFA's KMI panel, it was determined that the champions should have been awarded a spot kick beforehand after a Stephen O'Donnell foul.

Muir was the man at the centre of a Premier Sports Cup Final storm after he failed to recommend that on-field John Beaton take another look at a Liam Scales challenge on Vaclav Cerny, which should have resulted in a penalty to Rangers.

Celtic went on to lift the trophy on penalties, with Collum forced to come out and explain the blunder in the aftermath, admitting that the mistake was "unacceptable" and that muir, along with Assistant VAR Frank Connor, were "not forensic enough."

The Ibrox club then expressed "serious concerns" after Muir and Connor resumed their VAR duties after being taken out of the firing line for a period of time.

Another chalked off Maeda goal has proved to be the final straw. Celtic saw a late equaliser away to Hibs ruled out after a VAR review as the officials adjudged the ball to have gone out before Alistair Johnston cut back for the Japanese to make it 2-2 at Easter Road.

Replays were inconclusive, with boss Brendan Rodgers accusing the officials of "guessing" the call. The KMI panel again found in Celtic's favour after another review and Collum accepted that it was impossible that Muir and assistant Ross Macleod had 100 per cent conclusive evidence" that the ball was certainly out.

He said: "It's not possible to prove categorically that the ball has crossed the goal line fully because we know from previous examples at World Cups a ball can look out you know from certain angles but then when you look at the camera above, a slight part, a millimetre of the ball can be overhanging that goal line and that's enough to say the ball's in play,

"So on this occasion, for us, we expect the on-field decision to be supported and a goal awarded.

"I would also say if the assistant referee had flagged here and said in his opinion the ball had crossed the line for a goal kick we would also expect that decision to be supported because there's no 100% conclusive evidence. It's impossible to prove otherwise."