The Premier League published the Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel's verdicts for Match Round 7 of the 2026/27 season on 28 October. According to the league, there were 24 referee KMIs in the round, and the panel judged 88 per cent of the on-field decisions to be correct. There were four VAR overturns, and the panel concluded that all of them were correct interventions.
The headline finding concerned Sven Botman's challenge on Aston Villa forward Nicolas Jackson in the 18th minute: a majority of the panel felt Botman should have been sent off, although they accepted VAR's decision not to step in.
What the panel is, and the numbers so far
The KMI Panel provides an independent assessment of key decisions in every Premier League match, and this season the league is publishing its results weekly on its website and app to make the evaluation of match officials more transparent.
| Stat | Match Round 7 | 2026/27 season to date |
|---|---|---|
| Referee KMIs | 24 | 138 |
| On-field decisions judged correct | 88% | 88% |
| VAR overturns | 4, all correct | Not given |
| Decisions correct after VAR intervention | Not given | 99% |
The season-to-date figure of 88 per cent for on-field decisions matches the rate at the same stage last season, the Premier League said.
The three incidents
Botman's challenge on Jackson split the panel. By four votes to one, it found that the on-field decision not to show a red card for serious foul play was wrong: Botman was out of control, lunging at speed and making forceful contact with Jackson even though his leading leg missed the Villa attacker. By three votes to two, however, the panel supported the absence of a VAR intervention, on the basis that it was not a clear and obvious error given the high threshold for intervention in the Premier League.
The league explained that a challenge can still be serious foul play even if the player reaches the ball first. Officials must consider whether there is a controlled action to play the ball, the space into which the challenge is made, awareness of the opponent, and whether the tackle is clearly reckless or involves excessive force or endangers safety.
The panel unanimously backed, 5-0, the red card shown to Sessegnon for his challenge on Vaz in the third minute of stoppage time (90+3). Sessegnon made high, full and forceful contact on Vaz's Achilles, endangering his safety.
It was also unanimous, 5-0, that the referee was right not to award a penalty for a handball appeal against Herrington in the 40th minute. The ball struck his arm from very close range, giving him no chance to move it away, and he made no additional movement towards the ball. One of the league's refereeing points of emphasis for 2026/27 is to continue a "less is more" approach to penalising handball, under which not every contact between hand or arm and ball is an offence and players are not expected to keep their arms by their sides or behind their backs.
What comes next
The full Match Round 7 report is available from the Premier League as a PDF; the published summary does not name the fixtures in which the incidents occurred. With the league committed to weekly publication throughout 2026/27, the panel's verdicts on subsequent rounds will follow on its website and app.