Major fallout continues as Scottish Football Association weigh up action over Derek McInnes comments

Scottish Football Association are reportedly set to examine comments made by Derek McInnes following the explosive controversy surrounding Celtic F.C.’s late penalty against Motherwell F.C..

The Heart of Midlothian F.C. manager reacted furiously after Celtic were awarded a stoppage-time spot-kick at Fir Park, a decision that dramatically altered the Premiership title race and set up a decisive showdown at Celtic Park this weekend.

Kelechi Iheanacho converted the controversial penalty deep into added time, denying Hearts what had briefly looked like a huge advantage after their own victory over Falkirk F.C..

McInnes did not hide his anger after hearing the outcome.

In an emotional post-match interview, the Hearts boss branded the decision “disgusting” and suggested his side felt they were “up against everybody” during the title race.

According to reports, those comments have now caught the attention of the SFA, who are expected to review whether the remarks breached rules surrounding criticism of match officials and VAR decisions.

The governing body’s judicial protocol states that clubs, players, and officials must not publicly criticise referees in a manner that implies bias or incompetence, nor make comments that question the integrity or character of officials.

While McInnes’ words were undoubtedly forceful, there remains debate over whether his comments actually crossed the threshold required for disciplinary action.

Speaking after the match, McInnes said: “Having seen it again, I think it’s disgusting.”

He continued by insisting he did not believe the incident should have resulted in a penalty and referenced previous appeals involving Motherwell matches, arguing the Fir Park side had every right to feel aggrieved.

McInnes also revealed that his players were constantly checking updates from the Celtic game during Hearts’ own match and admitted that once he heard VAR was reviewing a potential penalty, he feared the outcome was inevitable.

The situation has only intensified tensions ahead of Saturday’s title-deciding clash at Celtic Park, with the fallout from the controversial penalty continuing to dominate discussion across Scottish football.