Derek McInnes could face ban after he ripped into ‘terrible’ Steven McLean in Hearts’ draw vs Motherwell
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Football Insider or go back to LFC Live.
The winger arrived at the ball first and appeared to have his back leg taken away by his marker, but referee Steven McLean waved away their initial appeals. HeartsDateCeltic10 MayRangers (H)Falkirk (H)13 MayMotherwell (A)Celtic (A)16 MayHearts (A)The final remaining league games for Hearts and Celtic.The man in the middle was then called to the pitchside monitor following a VAR review, but still upheld his initial view of the incident after consulting several replays.
McInnes wasted no time in making his frustrations known after the game, as he ripped into McLean and labelled it as a “terrible decision.”“At the time I thought it was a penalty, Greg Aitken has done his job well to bring the referee over, because he should bring him over and it should be a penalty,” the Hearts boss said in his interview. “It was a terrible decision, he had a bad night, and I’m not here to batter him, but he should be seeing that as we all are that it’s a penalty kick.”🗣️ "Terrible decision, he's had a bad night Steven McLean"🗣️ "Really bad injuries… achilles both of them"Derek McInnes spoke on Hearts' penalty claim and gave injury updates after the draw against Motherwell ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/hmawknJSDJ— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 9, 2026 View Tweet McInnes’ strong words are sure to spark a reaction from the SFA, and it is certainly not out of the question that he could even face a ban, as the governing body are always keen to try to protect their officials in situations like these.Jeff Stelling jumps to defend HeartsHearts’ draw against Motherwell has left the door open for Celtic to take advantage in the coming weeks, as the Bhoys could go one point behind the leaders with victory in Sunday’s Old Firm derby.
Journalist Callum McFadden was quick to take to X after the game to point out that the league title is now in Celtic’s hands, due to the Jambos having to head to Celtic Park on the final day. However, Jeff Stelling quickly jumped to the defence of McInnes’ men, as he replied to note that the title race is “Not in Celtic’s hands any more than Hearts’ hands.”The former Sky Sports news presenter is clearly quietly hoping that Hearts can get over the line and get the job done, a view which is shared by many across the UK’s footballing landscape. 🏴 SPFL Insider Access Direct access to our dedicated Scottish hubs: Real-time intelligence from the heart of the SPFL