Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Derek McInnes has been banned from the touchline in his first home game as Rangers manager after suffering a disciplinary charge for criticizing match officials.
McInnes was cited by the Scottish Football Association’s compliance officer in the wake of Motherwell’s late defeat to Celtic in last season’s penultimate match.
The then Hearts boss criticized the penalty decision which resulted in Celtic winning the match with the last kick of the game. Hearts were then in a closely contested Scottish Premiership title race with Celtic, which they eventually lost to their title rivals on the final day of the season.
If convicted, McInnes will miss Rangers’ Scottish Premiership opener at Dundee United, which is live Sky Sports July 31 – and could miss three more fixtures after that.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Hearts boss Derek McInnes was left disappointed after Celtic were awarded a penalty for handball against Motherwell
Motherwell and Fir Park midfielder Elliott Watt has also been issued with the same charge.
Motherwell face fines of between £1,000 and £100,000 if found guilty with the minimum penalty for individuals being a four-match ban.
They have all been charged with breaching a rule that prohibits criticism that suggests “bias or incompetence” towards match officials or their character.
McInnes described referee John Beaton’s decision to award a penalty for handball against Sam Nicholson as “quite outrageous really” – on advice from video assistant Andrew Dallas.
He added after his side’s 3-0 win over Falkirk: “I shouldn’t comment on another game, but it looks like it’s against us all.”
Celtic faced the challenge of beating leaders Hearts 3-0 on the final day before Kelechi Iheanacho converted a penalty and they eventually overcame a one-point deficit and came from 3-1 down to win the title.
Motherwell was referred to as a club in terms of social media content, which included the phrase “the world of football mocks our game”.
Watt described the penalty award as “the worst VAR decision in history” on his X account.
All three hearings will be heard by a judicial panel convened by the SFA on 16 July.
Rangers’ inaugural 2026/27 Scottish Premiership fixture
July
31: Dundee United (A) – 8pm, Live on Sky Sports
August
9: Hibernian (h) – 4pm
22: St Mirren (h) – 3pm
29: Aberdeen (a) – 3pm
September
2: Falkirk (a) – 7.45pm
5: Motherwell (h) – 3pm
20: Celtic (a) – 12pm, Live on Sky Sports
