DEREK MCINNES CITED BY SCOTTISH FA OVER PENALTY COMMENTS

Derek McInnes, manager of Rangers, faces a possible touchline ban after the Scottish FA issued a notice of complaint regarding comments he made about a penalty decision. McInnes criticised the award of a spot-kick to Celtic in a match between Celtic and Motherwell during the final stages of last season, when he was in charge of Hearts. The penalty, awarded for handball and converted by Kelechi Iheanacho, secured Celtic a 2-1 victory at Fir Park. Following the match, McInnes told Sky Sports that the decision was "disgusting" and stated: "I don't think it's a penalty kick."

Motherwell and their midfielder Elliott Watt also face sanction from the Scottish FA over social media posts concerning the penalty award. Motherwell posted on X that "the world of football mocks our game", whilst Watt described the decision as "the worst VAR decision in history". The Scottish FA cited all three parties under disciplinary rule 72, which prohibits match officials being criticised in a manner that suggests bias or incompetence. The late penalty kept Celtic one point behind Hearts, who won the league title days later in a final-day decider.

All three parties will attend disciplinary hearings scheduled for 16 July. The controversy surrounding the penalty decision intensified when referee John Beaton's contact details were posted online, prompting police to maintain surveillance of his home. A teenager was subsequently charged in connection with a data protection offence related to the posting of the referee's details.