SFA looking for new compliance officer with Clare Whyte stepping down
Whyte is leaving her role at the start of 2021
The Scottish Football Association is looking for a new compliance officer.
The governing body announced that Clare Whyte would be leaving her high-profile role early next year in order to take up a new opportunity.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: "I would like to thank Clare for her commitment to the role over the past two years with the Scottish FA.
"In what is a high-pressure position in a relentless environment, she has shown professionalism and resilience.
"We will begin the process of recruiting a replacement in early course.''
The disciplinary role comes with major responsibility - and often criticism.
The compliance officer decides which incidents or behaviour are worthy of going before a disciplinary tribunal, after consulting with three former category one referees in relation to on-field incidents.
Whyte began in the role in August 2018 after leaving her previous position as a Procurator Fiscal Depute.
Maxwell publicly defended her in February 2019 after claiming she had been the subject of "unacceptable'' and "grossly unfair'' personal criticism.
Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson had earlier claimed there was confusion and inconsistency in the SFA's disciplinary procedures and claimed Whyte was mainly picking up incidents highlighted on television.
At the time, Maxwell stressed that there was a major misunderstanding of Whyte's role, which was to "act independently and in accordance with the rule book''.
He said at the time: "The role of compliance officer is to ensure that all those involved in association football in Scotland observe the disciplinary rules, which includes reviewing misconduct missed by match officials and to subsequently raise a notice of complaint where appropriate.
"Contrary to opinion, the compliance officer does not offer any judgement on any incident.''