GLASGOW: Stewart Regan has stepped down as chief executive of the Scottish Football Association after eight years writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Aside from the domestic issues, with Scotland lacking a national team manager, Regan’s departure has possible repercussions for the International Footabll Association Board: Regan has been one of the central figures on the lawmaking body in overseeing the progress of video refereeing.

Next month – on March 3 – IFAB must decide at its annual meeting whether to approve VAR so that FIFA can be enabled to introduce it at the World Cup finals in Russia.

Regan, 53, has come under pressure over the SFA’s problems in finding a national team managerial successer to Gordon Strachan who quit afer the failure to qualify for the World Cup finals.

Later this week he was due to attend a difficult meeting of the SFA board after the highly public failure to prise Michael O’Neill away from Northern Ireland.

Regan, in a statement, acknowledged he had faced “challenging head winds” during his tenure but was proud of overseeing growth in the game. He said he had devoted time to “modernising, protecting, developing and promoting” football in Scotland.

He added: : “While it has been tough, I am proud to leave having overseen a period of significant change and substantial growth following the McLeish Report in 2010.

“We are now at another staging point and I recognise that it is now time for further change. I have decided to step aside to allow new leadership to take the organisation forward.

“I would like to thank the staff for their energy, hard work and support during my tenure. Their love of the game mirrors Scotland’s passion for football and I am proud to have served the association.”

Chief operating officer Andrew McKinlay will manage the day-to-day business during the interim period.

Scotland have two friendly matches arranged in March, at home to Costa Rica on 23 March and away to Hungary four days later.

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