Scottish FA announce major appointment as Rangers star confirms Ibrox exit with heartfelt message

A round-up of the latest news from around Scottish football outside of Edinburgh.

The end of the season is almost upon us and the two Edinburgh clubs have little left to play for at this stage. Hearts have confirmed their spot in next season's Europa League play-off round by clinching third, while Hibs are struggling at the other end of the table but won't go down.

The Easter Road outfit parted ways with Nick Montgomery this week following the heavy defeat to Aberdeen last time out, which left them sitting ninth, but they're still some way above the Scottish Premiership drop zone.

The two clubs are in action this evening as Hearts face St Mirren, while Hibernian take on Motherwell and they'll both round off their respective campaigns on Saturday. Ahead of tonight's action we round up some of the biggest news out there.

New referee chief appointed

Willie Collum has been appointed head of refereeing by the Scottish FA, the governing body has confirmed. Collum will bring an end to an officiating career that has spanned almost 30 years to take on the role and he'll take up his duties in early July.

The 45-year-old has spent 20 years as a Category One official and a FIFA International referee and he has taken charge of four Scottish Cup finals and two League Cup finals, while he has also officiated the 2015 UEFA Super Cup and at Euro 2016.

“I am proud and honoured to be appointed the Scottish FA’s Head of Refereeing,” he said upon taking the job. “It’s well-known that I took up refereeing at the age of 14 and today’s announcement is the culmination of some of the greatest experiences of my career.

“It’s my strong view that the role of Head of Refereeing is responsible to all of Scottish football, not just the association, as I am fully aware of the passion and expectations from clubs, players, supporters and match officials themselves.

“I will outline my plan in detail when I start officially but I was emphatic throughout the interview process that I want to improve, with consultation and consensus, the operation and delivery of VAR for all concerned. I want to use my experience to alleviate the unsustainable burden on our match officials and improve relations and mutual respect between match officials, club officials, players, coaches and fans."

Roofe confirms Rangers exit

Rangers forward Kemar Roofe has confirmed plans to leave Rangers when his contract expires at the end of the season. Roofe has been with Rangers since making the £4.5m switch from Anderlecht in the summer of 2020.

He's made 102 appearances for the club in that time, bagging 38 goals along the way. He would have made even more outings for the club if not for a series of lengthy injury lay-offs, though, with the forward struggling to find fitness on a consistent basis during his time at the club.

Nevertheless, he will leave Ibrox as a league, Scottish Cup and League Cup winner with Tuesday night's win over Dundee being his last outing for the club on home soil, something he chose to acknowledge on social media after the game.

“IBROX it’s been a pleasure... thanks for having me," he wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of himself in action this week. The 31-year-old's next steps remain unknown as he begins the search for a new club for next season.