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

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

An appeal panel at the Scottish FA upheld the original sanction against the club over a social media post that took aim at referee John Beaton’s VAR-assisted decision to penalise Sam Nicholson for handball in stoppage time.

The post featured the line “as the world of football mocks our game” alongside a video montage of the incident during Motherwell’s 3-2 defeat, when Kelechi Iheanacho scored from the spot with the final kick.

The club were deemed 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 £5,000 punishment.

Watt, now at Samsunspor in Turkey, had been handed a four-match suspension after he branded the call the “worst VAR decision in history” on his X account. His case fared better.

The appeal panel cut his ban to two games, with a further two matches suspended until the end of next season, leaving the 24-year-old with a clear warning hanging over him if he crosses the line again.

Both Motherwell and Watt had been charged under the same regulations relating to public criticism of officials, a flashpoint that has become a recurring theme around VAR in Scotland.

The same decision also dragged another high-profile name into the storm. Rangers manager Derek McInnes, who was Hearts boss at the time of the incident, had his own punishment reduced last week.

McInnes saw an immediate three-game touchline ban trimmed to two matches for his TV interview in which he called the decision “disgusting” and claimed “we are up against everybody”.

The ruling leaves the fine on Motherwell’s books, a warning on Watt’s record, and a clear message from Hampden: the anger around VAR can rage on, but take it too far in public and it will cost you.