Scottish FA appoints Martin Black as new compliance officer at Hampden

The Scottish FA has announced the appointment of Martin Black as its new compliance officer.

Black replaces Andrew Phillips in the key role, with the outgoing lawyer understood to be moving to the FA in England.

The role involves reviewing and investigating incidents where the SFA’s rules may have been broken, whether on or off the pitch. The compliance officer issues noticed of complaint and handles appeals for key incidents within games but also issues such as gambling in football, and clubs’ compliance with the regulations.

Black joins the governing body from the Office of the Advocate General,, where he was responsible for constitutional litigation.

The solicitor also has extensive experience as a specialist criminal lawyer and was an advisor at Cop 26 in Glasgow last year.

“Having gained considerable and varied experience as a criminal court practitioner beforetaking on positions in-house and in government, I believe I am perfectly placed to take this next step in my career with the role of Scottish FA compliance officer,” Black said.

“It’s an exciting time for Scottish football, which plays an integral part in life throughout the country, and I fully understand the importance of this unique position’s role in the game.

“I look forward to building on the excellent work conducted by Andrew in the role and shall continue to strive to ensure that focus remains on the spectacle of the football itself.”