The Scottish Football Association has apologised for historic cases of child sex abuse in the sport after a review found protection measures are still "not fit for purpose."

Ian Maxwell, the SFA's chief executive, pledged to take steps to ensure the "abhorrent" abuse could not reoccur in future and insisted Scottish football was a "safe place for children."

Despite recent progress, the independent review said the existing policies are "inadequate" and criticised "lack of leadership and governance" in tackling the issue.

It called for a "significant and serious sea change" in the sport's culture, saying that the "paramount" concern must become children's welfare rather than the reputation of a club or individual.

"Negative and harmful attitudes" that make it more difficult for victims to come forward must be challenged, it said. In particular, it highlighted homophobia, stigma around mental health and the perception "men in blazers" run the game.

The review panel, chaired by Martin Henry, said the review should be considered a "line-in-the-sand" moment for Scottish football and issued nearly 100 recommendations for change.

The SFA commissioned the review at the end of 2016 following an "unprecedented" number of allegations of non-recent sexual abuse in the sport, mainly said to have occurred in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.