Ex-Premier League ref Moss appointed SFA VAR head

Former Premier League official Jon Moss has been appointed the Scottish Football Association's first VAR manager.

The SFA's new head of refereeing Willie Collum had made the new role a priority upon taking over from Crawford Allan.

Moss refereed the 2015 FA Cup final, the 2019 League Cup final and more than 250 Premier League matches before retiring in 2022.

Latterly, he worked as elite referee manager with Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

"I’m really excited to work with Willie and the team to evolve the implementation of VAR in Scottish football," said Moss.

"In our conversations we agreed on the importance of the fundamentals of VAR: clarity, communication and transparency.

"We went through a similar process around the introduction of VAR in England - I was the referee in the first ever game that VAR intervened in the country - so I've seen first-hand what has worked and what needed to change, both as a referee and in my role within PGMOL.

"I look forward to working with the referees and the team at the Scottish FA to continue to improve how VAR is operated within Scottish football."

VAR has been operating in the Scottish Premiership since October 2022 and has, at times, proved controversial, particularly around the interpretation of the handball rule.

Collum said of Moss: "I believe his experience will benefit not only our current VARs and AVARs, but also the next generation who will need to become proficient in the use of the technology as we continue to improve its usage.

"I am confident that Jon's appointment will help us on our journey towards making VAR more efficient and less intrusive in Scottish football."