Motherwell's £5,000 Fine Upheld After VAR Controversy

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

An appeal panel at the Scottish FA upheld the original sanction against the club over a social media post that slammed referee John Beaton’s VAR-assisted call in May’s 3-2 defeat at Fir Park. The late penalty, given for handball against Sam Nicholson, was converted by Kelechi Iheanacho with virtually the last kick of the game.

Motherwell’s post, which featured a video montage of the incident and the line “as the world of football mocks our game”, was judged to have crossed the line. The club were found to have breached rules prohibiting criticism of match officials that suggests “bias or incompetence”, and the appeal did nothing to change that verdict or the financial penalty.

Watt, though, has had some success. The former Motherwell midfielder, now at Samsunspor in Turkey, was initially hit with a four-game suspension after branding the decision the “worst VAR decision in history” on his X account. His punishment has been cut to a two-match ban, with a further two games suspended until the end of next season.

The case sits within a growing pile of flashpoints around that same controversial call.

Last week, Rangers manager Derek McInnes – Hearts boss at the time of the incident – also had his punishment trimmed on appeal. His immediate three-game touchline ban was reduced to two matches after he described the decision as “disgusting” in a TV interview and claimed “we are up against everybody”.

The fine stands. The anger clearly does too.