The KMI panel does not serve Celtic well. In fact, it doesn’t serve anyone well.

It amazes me how much time gets wasted reporting what the KMI panel actually says.

The panel recently delivered its verdict on the incidents at Ibrox and the incidents at Aberdeen. To nobody’s surprise it agreed with every officiating decision. That outcome does not surprise me in the least. Nor should it surprise any Celtic supporter.

In truth the entire exercise produces little more than hot air.

That hot air produced exactly what we saw today, which is effectively nothing. If the panel never disagrees with the on field decisions, then what exactly is the point of the exercise? If it exists simply to rubber stamp what officials already decided, it serves no meaningful purpose.

Even more curious is the incident the panel chose not to examine.

The one moment that has dominated discussion all week was the stamp on Kieran Tierney. Yet the panel did not even bother to look at it. That omission feels deliberate. It certainly raises questions about what the panel actually chooses to scrutinise and what it prefers to ignore.

Much has also been made of the fact that the panel did not examine the offside decision. However that part of the debate is largely pointless. Offside decisions have never really been within the scope of the VAR review panel.

If the system says the player is offside, then that is the decision. The technology either aligns the lines or it does not. Unless someone intends to argue that the technology itself is fundamentally wrong, there is very little to debate.

However the wider issue with the KMI panel runs deeper than any individual decision.

The reports describing it say it consists of “football insiders”. We all know what that phrase means. Journalists, former officials and occasionally former players sit on the panel. Yet the public has no idea who those people are.

That creates a serious problem.

We do not know their allegiances or their biases. We do not even know whether they possess the expertise required to reach the conclusions they announce. Without transparency it becomes impossible to judge whether the panel is acting fairly.

We have already discussed the Village Idiot and his professionalism earlier this week. We have also spoken about Ally McCoist. During that discussion he produced some extraordinary comments about the rule book itself. At one point he suggested certain rules should not apply or should be interpreted differently.

Now imagine someone like that sitting on one of these panels.

How would we know?

The answer is that we would not.

That uncertainty alone undermines the credibility of the entire process. The KMI panel holds no judicial power. It cannot overturn decisions. It cannot enforce accountability. Even when it claims a mistake occurred, there is no consequence.

That raises an obvious question.

What exactly is the point of it?

The panel feels like little more than a box ticking exercise. Its existence creates headlines. It generates debate. Occasionally it produces controversial statements that dominate the news cycle.

Yet none of those outcomes actually improve the game.

We saw this clearly when headlines recently proclaimed that Celtic had been “put in their place” by KMI findings. Those findings carried no judicial authority. They were opinions delivered by unnamed individuals whose credentials remain unclear.

That is not accountability. That is theatre.

Supporters do not trust the panel. At least one club has already withdrawn from the process entirely. That fact alone should raise serious questions. When clubs themselves refuse to participate, it signals a deep lack of confidence in the system.

For many observers that decision is a giant red flag.

Once again the same question returns.

What purpose does the panel actually serve?

It does not serve the public as it cannot change decisions.

It rarely explains them in a meaningful way and it does not provide transparency.

But then it does not serve the clubs either. The panel cannot overturn refereeing errors or offer meaningful recourse when mistakes occur.

So who benefits from its existence?

If the goal is public explanation, Willie Collum’s VAR review show provides a far more useful service. At least that programme attempts to explain decisions. Occasionally it even acknowledges mistakes.

Those moments matter.

They offer some insight into the thinking behind controversial calls. They provide the public with at least a small degree of understanding about how officials reach their conclusions.

That system is not perfect either.

Officials still make repeated mistakes without apparent consequence. Some referees continue to receive major matches despite long lists of errors. That remains a serious flaw within Scottish football.

However Collum’s show at least serves a clear purpose.

The KMI panel does not.

It is one of the strangest and most pointless creations in modern Scottish football. Scrapping it tomorrow would not transform the game. Yet very few people would mourn its disappearance.

Supporters did not ask for it before it existed.

They certainly will not miss it when it is gone.

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