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-gasp penalty against Celtic – but Elliot Watt has seen his punishment eased.

The Scottish FA’s appeal panel backed the original decision to hit the Fir Park club in the pocket over a social media post that tore into referee John Beaton’s VAR-assisted call in May, when Sam Nicholson was penalised for handball at the death.

The club’s post, published in the immediate aftermath of the 3-2 defeat, carried the stinging line “as the world of football mocks our game” and was accompanied by a video montage of the controversial incident. It landed Motherwell in trouble for breaching rules that ban criticism of match officials suggesting “bias or incompetence”. The appeal has not shifted that stance.

On the pitch that day, the drama had already cut deep. With virtually the final kick, Kelechi Iheanacho buried the penalty to complete a 3-2 Celtic win and ignite an argument that has rumbled on all summer.

Off the pitch, the fallout spread quickly.

Former Motherwell midfielder Elliot Watt, now at Samsunspor in Turkey, joined the online backlash with a post on X labelling it the “worst VAR decision in history”. That outburst initially brought a four-game suspension.

The panel has now trimmed that to a two-match ban, with a further two games suspended until the end of next season – a clear warning shot, but short of the original hammer blow.

Both club and player were charged under the same regulations governing public criticism of officials, the same rulebook that has already drawn in one of Scottish football’s biggest figures.

Last week, Rangers manager Derek McInnes had his own sanction reduced on appeal, his immediate three-game touchline ban cut to two matches. His offence? A blistering TV interview about the very same incident while still in charge at Hearts, branding the decision “disgusting” and declaring “we are up against everybody”.

The fine stands. The bans are softened. The anger around that single VAR call, though, shows no sign of dying quietly.