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

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 suspension cut.

The Scottish FA appeal panel backed the original ruling against the club over a social media post that followed referee John Beaton’s VAR-assisted award of a stoppage-time spot-kick for handball against Sam Nicholson in May at Fir Park.

That post, shared after Motherwell’s 3-2 defeat, featured a video montage of the incident and the line: “as the world of football mocks our game” – wording the disciplinary panel judged as overstepping the mark.

Kelechi Iheanacho buried the penalty with the final kick, sparking outrage among Motherwell supporters and former players. One of them, Watt, now at Samsunspor in Turkey, took to his X account to brand it the “worst VAR decision in history”.

He was initially hit with a four-game suspension for his outburst. The appeal board has now reduced that to a two-match ban, with a further two games suspended until the end of next season, leaving the midfielder with a clear warning hanging over him.

Both Motherwell and Watt were found to have breached rules prohibiting criticism of match officials that suggests “bias or incompetence”, a line the Scottish FA has been keen to defend as VAR controversies pile up.

The same flashpoint has already dragged another high-profile figure into disciplinary trouble. Rangers manager Derek McInnes had his own punishment trimmed last week, his immediate three-game touchline ban cut to two matches after an appeal.

Speaking as Hearts boss at the time of the incident, McInnes had called the decision “disgusting” in a television interview and claimed “we are up against everybody” – words that now sit at the heart of a growing battle over where passion ends and punishment begins in Scottish football’s VAR era.