Derek McInnes is fighting a four-match touchline ban handed down by the Scottish FA, and he is doing it with his club standing behind him.
The ban stems from comments McInnes made at the end of last season, when he was still in charge of Hearts. Following Celtic's 3-2 win at Motherwell on May 13, in which a stoppage-time penalty converted by Kelechi Iheanacho kept Celtic one point behind Hearts in the title race, McInnes called the spot-kick decision disgusting. Celtic would go on to beat Hearts to the league title on the final day of the season.
Speaking to Sky Sports after a Hearts win against Falkirk on the same night, McInnes said: "When you heard Celtic got a 96th-minute penalty that was going to VAR and they were checking it, you just assume what's happened is they get the penalty. Having seen it again, it's disgusting. It is. I don't think it's a penalty kick. But we're up against it. We're up against everybody."
The Scottish FA issued an immediate three-game ban with one match suspended until the end of the season. Rangers, where McInnes is now manager, are contesting the punishment. The club's position, according to BBC Sport, is that his remarks were directed at the decision itself rather than representing any broader criticism of match officials.
After a friendly win over St Etienne at Ibrox, McInnes addressed the situation directly. "I don't agree with it and the club don't agree with it. I'm glad that we're going to appeal against that," he said. "I've been a manager for 19 years and you know you're going to be asked about contentious decisions and all the rest of it. I've never wanted to make it personal. For me, the decision was wrong. I feel as though I made my points at the hearing."
McInnes also raised a broader concern about how managers are expected to handle post-match questions. "Broadcasters pay a lot of money to hear managers' reactions. We've got to be careful that we don't have managers and players who have to be really sure of themselves and check themselves before answering a question," he said. "At no point was I wanting to inflame a situation. The situation was already being discussed before I did my press. It was quite a big moment in the season and there was a lot of emotion, but I felt as though what I said was controlled."
Rangers added that McInnes's concerns were widely shared by commentators across the United Kingdom and argued that similar language had been used previously in Scottish football by others with lesser or no disciplinary action.
The penalty decision drew significant attention beyond the stadium. After the match at Fir Park, referee John Beaton's contact details were posted online, leading police to place his home under surveillance. A teenager was later charged in connection with a data protection offence. SFA head of referees Willie Collum later defended the call, saying there was clear evidence that Sam Nicholson's hand and arm were in an unnatural position.
If the appeal fails, McInnes will serve his ban beginning with Rangers' Scottish Premiership opener away to Dundee United on July 31, the following home league match against Hibernian, and a League Cup tie on the weekend of August 15 and 16.
