SCOTTISH football’s image was sorely dented last week when Oli Shaw’s “goal” for Hibs against Hearts was not given because goal-line technology was not available to assist the referee and his assistants.

Neil Lennon’s comments summed it up: “It’s well over the line. It’s a goal, everyone can see it, and you can tell by the way the ball comes out at the angle it does.

“I know we’re on about video refereeing. Sky are here, if the fourth official goes and looks at a monitor he can say: ‘By the way, that’s a goal’.

“This is a huge game. It’s live on TV and it’s making a mockery of the game sometimes.”

Too true – the dinosaur tendency never fails to show itself in football at times, and the hypocrisy of those authorities such as the Scottish Football Association (SFA) who have failed to bring in goal-line technology and other replay systems due to its cost while using television footage to convict players of offences after the fact is simply inexcusable.

It really does make a mockery of the game that football has not followed other sports such as cricket, American and Gaelic football, rugby in both codes, and tennis by installing goal-line technology at least.

No one expects lower league clubs or amateur sides to have goal-line technology or video replay systems, but it stretches belief that the SFA and Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) say the professional game in Scotland cannot afford it.

At the very least we should have goal-line technology in all the Premiership grounds. I would go much further and make it a condition of membership of the Premiership that such technology should be compulsory for any club in it.

Yet I have some degree of sympathy with the SFA and the SPFL on this issue.

To remind you, here is what both said after the Oli Shaw incident and Neil Lennon’s remarks.

An SPFL spokesman said: “Goal-line technology has been a proven aid to referee decision-making where it has been installed around the world and is a very good example of technology enhancing the game.

“In common with most other leagues outside the most wealthy in Europe however, goal-line technology remains unaffordable for the SPFL. It would cost millions of pounds to install this technology at all Ladbrokes Premiership grounds.”

A Scottish FA spokesman said: “The Scottish FA has maintained a consistent stance on goal-line technology, both publicly and as an important voice within the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

“We are open to any technology that would help deliver a matter of fact. Goal-line technology – like Video Assistant Referee (VAR) – has been proven to aid match officials in the decision-making process.

“It is something that we would be happy to embrace and support if there was a widespread appetite from our member clubs to do so.

“However, the blunt reality is that the technology remains unaffordable to all but a few leagues as things stand, not to mention the likely cost some clubs would face in adapting their existing facilities to accommodate it.”

Here’s a surprising fact – for once the problem does not lie with the SFA and SPFL but with that lunkhead of an organisation, world governing body Fifa.

While he was in charge, the awful Sepp Blatter opposed the new technology for as long as he could until Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal for England against Germany in the 2010 World Cup left him looking like a silly blether.

After IFAB approved the change of laws to allow video assistance from 2012 onwards, Fifa took control of the issue of goal-line technology, and they have outrageously sold the game out by insisting that only two systems – GoalControl or Hawk-Eye – can be used.

My argument is this: let’s take Fifa out of the picture and devolve control of video assistance to individual associations. The technology is improving all the time and I happen to know a couple of geeky people who fall about laughing every time someone quotes the price of a system per ground, namely around £250,000 plus an utterly disgusting payment to Fifa of £15,000 just for licence to use it.

Web-based technology, I am assured, could give every ground in Scotland a decent goal-line system for a fraction of the costs being quoted to the SFA and SPFL.

As for total video replay assistance, such as Scottish rugby has for internationals, European and Pro-14 games, that is just around the corner for football, and will be introduced as long as national associations and leagues can make their own arrangements.

It is a no-brainer that referees need assistance to verify matters of fact, and even now, if television cameras are in attendance, the officials should be allowed to use them, especially when a goal is at stake.