New Rangers boss McInnes faces ban for opening games

Derek McInnes faces being banned from the touchline in his opening domestic games as Rangers manager after being hit with a disciplinary charge over criticism of match officials.

McInnes has been cited by the Scottish Football Association compliance officer over remarks made in the wake of Motherwell's late defeat by Celtic in the penultimate fixture of last season.

The then Hearts boss had criticised the penalty decision which led to Celtic's match-winner with the last kick of the game. Hearts were in a closely-contested Scottish Premiership title race with Celtic at the time, which they eventually lost on the final day of the season at their title rivals.

If found guilty, McInnes would miss Rangers' Scottish Premiership opener at Dundee United, which is live on Sky Sports on July 31 - and could then miss a further three fixtures.

• Rangers' 2026/27 fixtures

Motherwell and Fir Park midfielder Elliot Watt have also been issued with the same charge.

Motherwell face a fine of between £1,000 and £100,000 if found guilty while the minimum punishment for individuals is a four-match ban.

They have all been accused of breaching a rule which forbids criticism which indicates "bias or incompetence" on match officials or impinges on their characters.

• Rangers appoint Derek McInnes as head coach
• Download the Sky Sports app and follow your club

McInnes described referee John Beaton's decision to award a penalty for handball against Sam Nicholson - on the advice of video assistant Andrew Dallas - as "actually quite disgusting".

He added after his side's 3-0 win over Falkirk: "I shouldn't be commenting on another game, but having seen that, it feels like us against everybody."

Celtic were facing the challenge of beating leaders Hearts 3-0 on the final day before Kelechi Iheanacho converted the penalty and they ultimately won the title in the closing moments of the season by overturning a one-point deficit and coming from behind with a 3-1 win.

Motherwell have been cited as a club in the wake of social media content, which included the phrase "as the world of football mocks our game".

Watt described the penalty award as the "worst VAR decision in history" on his X account.

All three hearings will be heard on July 16 by a judicial panel convened by the SFA.

Rangers' opening 2026/27 Scottish Premiership fixtures

July

31: Dundee United (a) - 8pm, live on Sky Sports

August

9: Hibernian (h) - 4pm

22: St Mirren (h) - 3pm

29: Aberdeen (a) - 3pm

September

2: Falkirk (a) - 7.45pm

5: Motherwell (h) - 3pm

20: Celtic (a) - 12pm, live on Sky Sports