Motherwell Fail to Reduce £5,000 Fine Over Celtic Penalty Incident

Motherwell have failed in their bid to slash a £5,000 fine for their furious reaction to a last-gasp penalty awarded to Celtic at Fir Park in May – but Elliot Watt has seen his suspension eased.

An independent Scottish FA appeal panel backed the original decision to punish the club over a social media post that went viral in the aftermath of referee John Beaton’s VAR-assisted call for handball against Sam Nicholson.

The club’s message, posted after the dramatic 3-2 defeat, carried the stinging line “as the world of football mocks our game” and was accompanied by a video montage of the incident that led to the spot-kick.

Kelechi Iheanacho buried the penalty with the final kick of the match, sparking fury in the Motherwell camp and across their support.

Watt’s ban cut – but warning remains

Former Motherwell midfielder Elliot Watt, now at Samsunspor in Turkey, also landed in trouble for his reaction online. He branded the award the “worst VAR decision in history” on his X account and was hit with a four-match suspension.

That punishment has now been trimmed. The appeal panel reduced the immediate ban to two games, with a further two matches suspended until the end of next season – effectively a warning hanging over him should he step out of line again.

Both Motherwell and Watt were charged under rules that bar any criticism of match officials which suggests “bias or incompetence”. The panel ruled the threshold had been crossed, even if the sanctions on the player were softened.

McInnes case underlines hot VAR flashpoint

The fallout from that single VAR call has stretched well beyond Fir Park. Last week, Rangers manager Derek McInnes also had his sanction reduced on appeal after comments about the same incident.

McInnes, who was Hearts boss at the time, originally received an immediate three-game touchline ban. That has been cut to two matches for his TV interview in which he labelled the decision “disgusting” and claimed “we are up against everybody”.

One penalty, one VAR check, and one late goal – still sending shockwaves through Scottish football’s disciplinary rooms months later.