Motherwell's £5,000 Fine Upheld Despite Appeal

Motherwell have failed in their bid to have a £5,000 fine reduced for their furious reaction to a last-minute penalty decision against Celtic – but Elliot Watt has seen his ban cut.

An independent Scottish FA appeal panel backed the original sanction against the club, imposed over a social media post published after referee John Beaton, with VAR assistance, awarded a stoppage-time spot-kick for handball against Sam Nicholson in May at Fir Park.

The post, which featured a video montage of the incident from the 3-2 defeat and the line “as the world of football mocks our game”, was deemed to have crossed the line. The disciplinary charge centred on rules prohibiting criticism of match officials that suggests “bias or incompetence”.

That late penalty, converted by Kelechi Iheanacho with virtually the final kick, lit the fuse. The fallout has rumbled on all summer.

Watt, now at Samsunspor in Turkey, was also punished for his own online intervention. The former Motherwell midfielder branded the call the “worst VAR decision in history” on his X account and was initially hit with a four-game suspension.

The appeal panel softened that blow. His punishment has been reduced to a two-match ban, with a further two games suspended until the end of next season, leaving a clear warning hanging over any future comments.

The case drops into an already simmering debate over how far managers and players can go when criticising officials in the VAR era. Only last week, Rangers manager Derek McInnes had his own penalty for speaking out on the same incident trimmed on appeal.

McInnes, who was Hearts boss at the time of the game, saw an immediate three-match touchline ban cut to two after describing the decision as “disgusting” in a TV interview and claiming “we are up against everybody”.

The message from Hampden is blunt enough: the authorities are willing to shave back suspensions, but they are not backing down on the principle. The line on accusing referees of bias or incompetence is staying exactly where it is.