Derek McInnes Handed Rangers Boost as Immediate Ban Is Reduced

Rangers manager Derek McInnes will serve an immediate two-match touchline ban after the Scottish FA partially upheld the Ibrox club’s appeal against his punishment. The 55-year-old had originally received a four-match suspension, with three games taking immediate effect and the fourth suspended until the end of the 2026/27 campaign.

However, the appellate tribunal has replaced that arrangement with two immediate matches and two suspended matches. The latter sanctions will only be activated if McInnes breaches Disciplinary Rule 72 again before the season ends.

It means McInnes will watch Wednesday’s Scottish Premiership trip to Falkirk and Saturday’s meeting with Motherwell at Ibrox from the stands. He will be eligible to return for Rangers’ home game against St Mirren on 9 September, ensuring he is back in the technical area for the subsequent Old Firm double-header.

Celtic travel to Ibrox in the League Cup on 13 September before Rangers visit Parkhead in the Premiership seven days later. The charge relates to comments McInnes made while managing Hearts last season.

After Celtic were awarded a stoppage-time penalty against Motherwell in May, he described the decision as “actually quite disgusting” and said it felt like “us against everybody”.

The spot-kick followed a VAR review for handball against Sam Nicholson and was converted by Kelechi Iheanacho, keeping Celtic within one point of Hearts ahead of their title-deciding final-day meeting.

Rangers argued that McInnes had criticised a match-defining decision rather than questioned the competence or integrity of the officials. The club also pointed to the Scottish FA’s Key Match Incident Panel finding that VAR should not have intervened.

Although the appeal has not removed the punishment, reducing its immediate element is significant. McInnes will still be absent for two important league fixtures, but Rangers have ensured the case does not keep him out of either upcoming Celtic encounter.

That gives the manager a timely return for fixtures likely to carry greater consequences, while leaving his assistants responsible for maintaining control through two matches Rangers cannot realistically afford to let drift.

The timing heightens the pressure on his staff and players. Rangers secured their first Premiership win of the season at Aberdeen on Sunday after Lawrence Shankland scored one from the spot in the 69th minute. However, they remain five points behind Celtic after three matches and have already exited Europe.

Falkirk and Motherwell, therefore, will allow little room for error. McInnes must prepare his side from outside the dugout before returning for a demanding run, which could shape Rangers’ early-season momentum.