Rangers coach Derek McInnes in controversy after criticism of Celtic's penalty decision

New Rangers manager Derek McInnes faces a disciplinary action following his sharp criticism of Celtic's late penalty award against Motherwell during his time as Hearts manager. The Scottish Football Association has sent McInnes an official warning. Motherwell and their midfielder Elliott Watt are also named in the disciplinary case because of statements on social media about the VAR decision in question.

The incident took place in the decisive phase of the previous season, with Kelechi Iheanacho converting the penalty. Celtic's 2-1 win at Motherwell kept the team one point behind Hearts, who would ultimately be overtaken in a direct match in the final weekend of the season in the battle for the league title. Afterwards, McInnes criticized the decision to the press: "When I heard that Celtic were awarded a penalty in the 96th minute, I thought it was another typical VAR moment. It is downright scandalous. I don't think it is a penalty, but we keep against it."


Motherwell also strongly criticized the refereeing decisions via a message on X (formerly Twitter). Midfielder Elliott Watt even called the VAR action "the worst decision in the history of VAR". This led to further tensions: after the match, referee John Beaton's contact details were distributed online, prompting police to provide additional security to his home. A teenager has now been arrested for violating the privacy law.

The SFA's charge is based on disciplinary rule 72 and concerns defaming the referee through public statements. The hearings for McInnes, Motherwell and Watt are scheduled for July 16.