The Premier League's independent KMI Panel judged 88% of 24 referee key match incidents in round eight to be correct. Its published review also supported the outcome of the round's only VAR overturn.
Round and season figures
Across the 2026/27 season to that point, the panel had assessed 162 referee KMIs. It rated 88% of on-field decisions correct, matching the same stage last season. After VAR interventions, the correct-outcome figure was 99%.
The league publishes the independent panel's findings weekly to explain post-match assessment of important decisions.
One highlighted incident involved Brandon Thomas-Asante and Calvin Bassey. All five panellists supported the no-penalty outcome. They identified Bassey holding before a corner entered play, followed by Thomas-Asante holding after the ball was in play.
Outcomes and review procedure
The panel said VAR correctly identified both actions but should recommend an on-field review so the referee could consider them and reach the outcome of a retaken corner. The explanation refers to an IFAB trial allowing intervention in limited circumstances involving an attacking offence before a restart.
A second incident involved Mamadou Sangare and Mohamed Belloumi. The panel supported no penalty by three votes to two, while all five backed no VAR intervention. They considered it a subjective referee's call that did not meet the clear-and-obvious-error threshold.
The full round-eight findings accompany the league's explanation. The programme's next step is continued weekly assessment of subsequent rounds under the same publication process.