Derek McInnes is poised to watch his first Old Firm encounter from the stands after the Scottish FA scheduled his appeal hearing for 31 August. The Rangers manager is challenging a four-match touchline ban—with one match suspended—stemming from his tenure as Heart of Midlothian head coach last season.
The sanction relates to comments McInnes made in May following Celtic’s dramatic 3-2 victory at Motherwell. A stoppage-time penalty for handball, converted by Kelechi Iheanacho, kept Celtic within a point of Hearts in the title race—a gap they subsequently closed to claim the championship on the final day. McInnes labelled the award “disgusting” in his post-match remarks.
Upon announcing the appeal, Rangers contended that the manager’s criticism was directed specifically at the refereeing decision rather than constituting a broader attack on the integrity of match officials.
Pending the outcome of the hearing, McInnes faces the prospect of serving the ban during upcoming fixtures against Falkirk, Motherwell, and Celtic. The manager remains steadfast in his position.
“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,” McInnes said. “I’ve been a manager for 19 years and you know you’re going to be asked about contentious decisions. 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.”
He also warned against a climate where managers feel compelled to self-censor. “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. 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.”
The fixtures affected by the current ban include the Premiership trip to Falkirk on 2 September and the home clash with Motherwell on 5 September, followed by the League Cup quarter-final against Celtic at Ibrox on 13 September.
