Motherwell Appeal Fails After Celtic VAR Anger

The Scottish FA has confirmed that Motherwell's appeal over a breach of Disciplinary Rule 72 was only partially upheld, with the original financial punishment re-imposed in full. The case stemmed from Celtic's 3-2 victory at Fir Park on May 13. 13h May 2026; Fir Park, Motherwell, Scotland; Scottish Premiership Football, Motherwell versus Celtic; Elliot Watt of Motherwell slide tackles Daizen Maeda of Celtic The Hoops snatched all three points deep into stoppage time after VAR intervened over a challenge on Auston Trusty inside the Motherwell box. John Beaton was sent to the monitor before awarding Celtic a penalty, with Kelechi Iheanacho stepping up to score the winner. Motherwell were left raging with the decision and went public with their complaints afterwards. That reaction later landed the club in disciplinary trouble. At the original hearing on July 16, Motherwell were found to have breached Rule 72, which covers public comments about match officials that indicate bias or incompetence. They were fined £5,000. Motherwell challenged that outcome, but the appeal has failed to wipe out the punishment. Following an appellate tribunal on September 3, the £5,000 fine was re-imposed with immediate effect. The club will receive £500 of its appeal deposit back. Former Motherwell midfielder Elliot Watt was also punished over comments connected to the same game. Watt admitted his breach and was originally handed an immediate four-match suspension. 13h May 2026; Fir Park, Motherwell, Scotland; Scottish Premiership Football, Motherwell versus Celtic; Elliot Watt of Motherwell tackles Benjamin Nygren of Celtic His appeal has reduced that punishment to two matches immediately, with another two suspended until the end of the 2027/28 season. For Celtic, the lasting picture from that night remains a late victory at Fir Park. The Hoops took the three points, Iheanacho scored the decisive goal and Motherwell's public anger in the aftermath has ultimately left the club with a £5,000 bill. Their complaints did not change the result, and months later the disciplinary fallout is still costing them.