Scottish FA scraps key match incident panel

What the report says

The Scottish FA has ended use of its independent key match incidents (KMI) panel, which had been set up to review major refereeing decisions in the Scottish Premiership. According to BBC Sport Football, the voluntary three-person group — made up of former players and a club representative — had been providing weekly verdicts since 2024 as part of a wider effort to improve transparency around officiating.

The BBC reported that the panel’s role has now been scrapped. Dundee United withdrew its representative in February last year, saying it had concerns about the panel’s purpose, effectiveness and impact on Scottish football, and it is understood other clubs also stopped taking part this season. The article does not say the panel was formally replaced by another similar body.

The change leaves the Scottish FA’s other review channels in place. Willie Collum, the association’s head of refereeing, continues to publish monthly video breakdowns of key decisions on the Scottish FA’s YouTube-based VAR Review Show. He also meets captains and managers, which BBC Sport says is viewed internally as a more useful way to discuss incidents. The report notes that the KMI panel and Collum have not always reached the same conclusions on controversial decisions, underlining ongoing debate over how refereeing should be assessed in Scottish football.