Motherwell fail to cut fine for Celtic penalty reaction

What the report says

Motherwell have failed in an appeal to reduce a £5,000 fine imposed over the club’s response to a late penalty awarded to Celtic at Fir Park in May, according to BBC Sport Football. The Scottish FA appeal panel kept the sanction in place after reviewing a social media post published after referee John Beaton used VAR before giving the spot-kick for a handball against Sam Nicholson.

The post included a strong criticism of the decision and was accompanied by a video montage from Motherwell’s 3-2 defeat. Celtic forward Kelechi Iheanacho scored the penalty with the final kick of the match, which prompted the club’s public reaction.

Former Motherwell player Elliot Watt was also disciplined over comments made on social media. His original four-match suspension for calling it the “worst VAR decision in history” has been reduced to two matches, with two more matches suspended until the end of next season. BBC Sport Football said both the club and Watt were charged under rules that prohibit criticism of match officials that suggests bias or incompetence.

The case comes amid wider scrutiny of match-official criticism in Scottish football, with BBC Sport noting that other punishments linked to the same incident have also been adjusted on appeal.