McInnes handed four-game touchline ban over 'disgusting' Celtic penalty comment

Derek McInnes has been hit with a four-game touchline ban, with one match suspended, after he described the award of a late penalty to Celtic at Motherwell as "disgusting". The sanction relates to comments made while he was managing Hearts.

McInnes, identified in coverage as Rangers manager, made the remark about the late penalty decision at Motherwell during his tenure with Hearts. The description he used — "disgusting" — was directed at the referee’s decision to award Celtic that late spot-kick. The punishment imposed is a four-game touchline ban, with one of those matches suspended.

The incident centres on a late-match penalty given to Celtic in the fixture at Motherwell, which drew McInnes’s public criticism. He used the single-word description "disgusting" to characterise the decision. That comment, delivered while he was in charge at Hearts, is the focus of the disciplinary action.

The disciplinary measure carries a four-game prohibition on touchline attendance, and the sanction includes one suspended match. The wording of McInnes’s remark is recorded explicitly as "disgusting", a term that has been cited in reports of the case. The ban follows that public criticism of the late penalty awarded to Celtic.

Media reports note McInnes’s current association with Rangers alongside the fact his comment was made during his spell with Hearts. The penalty at Motherwell and his subsequent reaction form the factual basis for the sanction. Officials have set the four-game ban with one suspended match attached.

The sanction removes McInnes from touchline duties for the duration specified and records his phrase "disgusting" as the cause of the punishment. The four-game touchline ban, with one match suspended, responds to his criticism of the late Celtic penalty at Motherwell while he was managing Hearts.