IT will come down to money. In the end, it always has and it always will come down to money in Scottish football.

Premiership clubs are now questioning the cost of VAR in our game. The real issue is whether we can afford not to have it.

Those who believe that the introduction of VAR in Scottish football will be a panacea to all the refereeing ills and fall-outs clearly haven’t been paying attention south of the border or further afield over the last few years. It will not solve all the issues and end all the controversies and arguments.

But the standard of officiating here is at such a low level that even a system that is seemingly destined to be imperfect must be an improvement to what we currently have.

Technology will not stop the conspiracy theorists and it won’t halt the headlines. There will still be misplaced accusations of cheating and cries of bias – both for and against the Old Firm – as managers across the country rage about the inconsistencies and mistakes that blight our game on a weekly basis.

Right now, our officials need all the assistance that they can get and every little would help. A move that would make Scottish whistlers full-time professionals is long overdue and the implementation of VAR is now a must rather than a maybe.

Scotland may not be one of the major European football nations but we have a proud history and are striving – both on and off the park – to move the game forward. Without VAR, we will be left behind.

Some clubs will rightly baulk at a potential six-figure bill for VAR and point out that such a significant sum could be spent on youth development, pitches and infrastructure. Given the margins between most sides in the top flight, that money could be worth a couple of players and a couple of league positions come the end of the campaign.

The Scottish FA – who co-hosted, alongside the SPFL, a meeting chaired by former World Cup final referee Howard Webb last year – have previously committed to help underwrite some of the costs associated with the implementation of the technology in the top flight.

The bill does not just come from the purchase and operation of the cameras – now set to be increased from four to six at each game – and the TV screens, plus a Stockley Park style base. Match officials will need to be put through training courses and the start-up costs will be significant.

VAR has already been given backing from the Scottish Senior Referees’ Association and a vote of Premiership clubs next month could be the next step towards a radical but long-awaited change in the way that fixtures here are officiated.

The technology would be no silver bullet. Events in Dortmund and Dundee last week prove why it would be a positive move for the game, though, and be an assistance to a corps of whistlers that are under more pressure, scrutiny and abuse than ever before.

In the Westfalenstadion on Thursday evening, Rangers benefitted from two VAR calls – the first to award a penalty and the second an offside check – as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side stunned Borussia Dortmund and earned a Europa League victory.

If referee Clement Turpin hadn’t been able to consult with the VAR team and then watch the action back, Rangers would have been unfairly denied and the game, and the tie, would have had very different complexions. Justice would not have been served.

At the same time, of course, supporters would have been able to check their phones in the stadium or been watching on from afar and seen replays of two defining incidents. It would have been an absurd situation.

That is what Scottish football seems to do best at times, right enough. So it was no surprise to see that scenario play out a couple of days later at Tannadice as Rangers were denied two clear penalties by referee Bobby Madden.

Madden didn’t spot the ball striking the arm of Ross Graham as he failed to get out of the way of a Charlie Mulgrew clearance. Appeals on the park were dismissed and within seconds TV viewers knew Madden had got it wrong.

Later in the game, the same scenario unfolded. Graham had a hold of Fashion Sakala’s shirt but Madden stayed silent, the United defender survived and Rangers didn’t get what they were due.

It was the champions’ profligacy that cost them points on Sunday but Madden’s mistakes didn’t help matters. Errors cannot be accounted for, but they should not be accepted either.

Such small margins can decide title races. Medals should not be won, European places decided or relegation confirmed as a result of ineptitude from officials.

Van Bronckhorst, not for the first time this term, addressed the issue of VAR post-match and was typically stoical and level-headed about the calls that had gone against his side. The referee’s decision, right now, is final in the Premiership.

Ultimately, it will be down to the clubs whether or not they feel no VAR is a price worth paying but those that don’t vote in favour lose their position on the soapbox next time a manager or player seeks to question or condemn a referee.

There will be countless decisions over the course of a campaign that could, and should, be looked at again and the mistakes rectified. Right now, VAR is the only way to increase the percentage of correct calls being made and that fairness and transparency is at the heart of the matter.

Money will talk at Hampden. The time has come for Scottish football to either stump up to help referees or shut up and let them get on with it.