Celtic Saw Derek McInnes Lose Control—Then Came His Remarkable Excuse

Celtic witnessed another extraordinary Derek McInnes touchline performance when the Rangers manager erupted over an early booking, confronted Mark Fotheringham and later claimed he was simply “sticking up for my team”.

McInnes became enraged after Emmanuel Fernandez pulled Camilo Durán back as Celtic attempted to break forward in the fourth minute. Referee John Beaton showed Fernandez a yellow card.

Fernandez deliberately stopped a promising attack and could even have faced a stronger punishment had Beaton judged Durán to have been denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.

However, McInnes immediately directed his anger towards the fourth official. Martin O’Neill and Fotheringham then became involved before McInnes and the Celtic coach squared up and exchanged heated words.

McInnes later offered a remarkable explanation: “It was 3-1 against me [fouls] – and there was only two bookings. I was just sticking up for my team.”

Derek McInnes’ Celtic anger looked wildly excessive

The match was only four minutes old. Turning a tiny early foul count into evidence of unfair treatment was absurdly premature.

More importantly, bookings are not distributed according to a mathematical foul ratio. Officials must judge the nature of each challenge, whether it stops an attack and if it deserves disciplinary action.

Fernandez’s offence was cynical and clearly prevented Celtic from advancing. McInnes was not defending his team from an injustice. He was raging because a Rangers player received a reasonable punishment for an obvious foul.

The subsequent events made his complaint even harder to accept.

Fernandez challenged Benjamin Nygren around 12 minutes later but escaped a foul and possible second yellow. Pat Bonner accused Beaton of “bottling” that decision, while Chris Sutton and Scott Arfield agreed the Rangers defender was extremely fortunate to remain on the pitch.

Therefore, the most consequential refereeing escape benefited McInnes’ team. His attempt to present Rangers as the wronged party simply does not withstand scrutiny.

Derek McInnes renews his Celtic coaching feud

This was also not McInnes’ first confrontation with Fotheringham.

When McInnes managed Hearts, he criticised what he called an “inexperienced” Celtic coach’s reaction to a goal. That description was quickly challenged because Fotheringham possesses substantial coaching experience in Germany, including working alongside Felix Magath.

Passion is part of football, particularly during a derby. Nevertheless, there is a difference between protecting players and attempting to pressure officials from the opening minutes.

McInnes’ finger-counting, complaints and rush towards another confrontation looked calculated to create a sense that Rangers were being unfairly treated. That narrative became even less credible when Fernandez remained on the field following his next challenge.

Fotheringham was booked and must accept responsibility for his own reaction. Yet McInnes initiated the complaints over a defensible decision before later portraying himself as merely defending his players.

Rangers won the match, but victory should not prevent McInnes’ behaviour from being questioned.

If that furious response represents “sticking up” for a team, Scottish officials should prepare for a season of theatrical outrage whenever Rangers receive a decision McInnes dislikes.

Key Takeaways

• McInnes erupted after Fernandez received a reasonable fourth-minute booking.
• Fernandez later escaped a possible second yellow that several pundits believed Beaton should have shown.
• McInnes’ latest confrontation renewed his previous feud with Fotheringham.