Glentoran captain Marcus Kane said that he initially thought the introduction of video assistant referee [VAR] for Sunday's BetMcLean Cup final against Linfield "was a joke". The Glens will face rivals Linfield for the silverware in their first cup final against each other for 16 years. The decider is also the first time that VAR will be used in domestic football in Northern Ireland. "I still thought it was a joke and I thought it was AI [artificial intelligence]. However, Kane added that thoughts are VAR will be put to the side when he takes to the pitch on Sunday.

Source: BBC March 13, 2026 01:33 UTC