Derek McInnes issued SFA notice over Celtic penalty comments
Rangers boss Derek McInnes could face a suspension after criticising officials following Celtic’s late penalty at Fir Park last season
Derek McInnes has been issued with a notice of complaint by the Scottish FA following his criticism of a late penalty awarded to Celtic in the closing stages of last season.
The incident occurred during stoppage time of Celtic’s match against Motherwell at Fir Park, where Sam Nicholson was judged to have handled the ball. Kelechi Iheanacho converted the resulting penalty to secure a win for Celtic as they continued their title challenge against Hearts.
McInnes, now Rangers manager, was critical of referee John Beaton and the VAR team after the match, describing the decision as “disgusting.”
He said: “When you heard Celtic got a 96th minute penalty that was going to VAR and they were checking it, you just assume what’s happened is they get the penalty.
“Having seen it again, it’s disgusting. It is. I don’t think it’s a penalty kick. But we’re up against it. We’re up against everybody. We’ll be ready for Saturday.”
The Scottish FA has cited McInnes under Disciplinary Rule 72, which prohibits criticism of match officials that suggests bias or incompetence. A breach could result in a suspension of between two and four matches.
Motherwell midfielder Elliot Watt and the club have also received notices of complaint in relation to their own comments on the incident.
Former Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou, who has since joined Toulouse, also criticised the decision at the time. As he is no longer at the club, any potential sanction would apply to Motherwell.
Speaking after the match, Askou said: “I think the big question is what are we even doing here?
“When things like that happen. I’m in total shock. I thought I had seen it all this year but apparently I haven’t. It’s shocking. It’s a shame for the game.
“Even after the game was supposed to be blown off, see that happening – it felt totally unreal looking at it on the TV footage.
“No matter how you read that situation, I can’t see anywhere where they can find a paragraph in the rule book where it can lead to a penalty.”
McInnes, Watt and Motherwell are scheduled to face hearings on July 16.