Rangers intend to appeal the Scottish FA punishment given to manager Derek McInnes for comments about a late Celtic penalty at Fir Park. The sanction amounts to three immediate matches away from the touchline, with a fourth suspended until the end of the season.
The remarks were made when McInnes was still in charge of Hearts and followed a stoppage-time handball decision converted by Kelechi Iheanacho in Celtic's 3-2 win over Motherwell on 13 May. Rangers argue the criticism was aimed at that individual decision, not at officials more broadly.
If the sanction stands, McInnes is due to be in the stands for Rangers' Premiership opener at Dundee United, the next league match against Hibernian, and a League Cup tie in mid-August. The ban does not apply to Rangers' Europa League qualifier against Jagiellonia Bialystok.
The case sits within a wider disciplinary fallout from the same incident, with Motherwell fined and former midfielder Elliott Watt suspended over related social media activity. It also comes against a sensitive backdrop after referee John Beaton's personal details were posted online, while SFA refereeing chief Willie Collum defended the original penalty call.
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