Premier League to publish verdicts on referee and VAR decisions

What the report says

The Premier League says it will start publishing the full verdicts of its Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel this season, giving supporters access to the body’s judgements on referee and VAR decisions for the first time. According to BBC Sport Football, the move is part of a wider push for transparency around officiating, alongside new direct explanations from officials and expanded RefCam coverage.

The KMI Panel, which has met weekly since the 2022-23 season, reviews major incidents such as goals, penalties and red cards. It has five members: three former players or coaches, plus representatives from the Premier League and the referees’ organisation Professional Game Match Officials. Until now, its full findings were kept private, although some clubs were said to have leaked them. The panel’s assessments also feed into referee performance-related payments at season’s end.

BBC Sport said selected quotes from referees and VAR officials will also be shared on the Premier League’s Match Centre on X, as well as on its website and app. The league hopes this will better explain why decisions were made, while still working within limits set by football’s law-making body, Ifab, which does not allow live broadcast of VAR conversations. The Premier League plans to keep discussing with Ifab about sharing more of that communication publicly.

As background, the article notes that last season’s KMI verdicts identified 25 VAR errors, continuing a trend of year-on-year improvement from earlier seasons.