Motherwell have been unsuccessful in their attempt to reduce a £5,000 fine imposed for their reaction to a last-gasp penalty awarded to Celtic at Fir Park in May. A Scottish FA appeal panel upheld the decision to fine the club for a social media post following referee John Beaton's VAR-assisted handball decision against Sam Nicholson.
The club's message included the phrase "as the world of football mocks our game" and a video montage related to their 3-2 defeat, where Kelechi Iheanacho scored the penalty with the final kick.
However, former Motherwell player Elliot Watt, now with Samsunspor, saw his initial four-game suspension reduced. Watt had written "worst VAR decision in history" on his X account, and his ban has now been cut to two matches, with an additional two suspended until the end of next season.
Both Motherwell and Watt were charged with breaching rules that forbid criticism of match officials implying "bias or incompetence". Separately, Rangers manager Derek McInnes recently had his punishment for comments on the same incident reduced from an immediate three-game touchline ban to two matches.