Premier League to publish verdicts on referee and VAR decisions

The Premier League will publish full judgements made by the Key Match Incidents Panel (KMI Panel) regarding referee and video assistant referee (VAR) decisions, starting this season. This move is part of three transparency measures introduced by the league, alongside publishing direct explanations of officials' decisions and broadcasting RefCam with audio of referees discussing with players.

The KMI Panel, consisting of five members including three former players, coaches, representatives from the Premier League, and Pro Ref, evaluates every major incident, typically from goals to penalties and red cards. The panel, which began meeting in the 2022-23 season, assesses decisions based on the laws of the game and the Premier League's expectations for refereeing.

The full judgements, which include referees' and VARs' direct reasoning, will be published on the Premier League's Match Centre account on X, website, and app. This transparency aims to provide fans with the rationale behind decisions, though it is still limited by the International Football Association Board's (IFAB) restrictions on live broadcasting of VAR discussions.

The KMI Panel's findings show a decrease in VAR errors compared to previous seasons, with 25 errors in 2022-23 compared to 31 in the 2023-24 season.