Football Experts Split on Scott McTominay Penalty Decision After Scotland's World Cup Drop
June 21, 2026 · Global
Scotland's late penalty appeal sparked debate among football pundits after their loss to Morocco.
Scotland were angered by not being awarded a penalty at the end of their match against Morocco at the World Cup, although football experts disagree over whether the decision was correct. In the 82nd minute, Scott McTominay fell under a challenge from Neil El Aynaoui, who stretched out his leg and brought down McTominay as he carried the ball into the penalty area, while Morocco led 1-0. Replays showed that the Moroccan midfielder did not touch the ball and only touched the player, with ITV's referee specialist, Christina Unkel, admitting that she thought the initial decision was wrong, although not enough for VAR to overturn the decision and award a penalty. This was Scotland's third penalty appeal of the match but the most vocal, with McTominay continually asking referee Igliz Tantashev to award a penalty as the game moved to the other side. This rejection proved crucial as Morocco managed to maintain a one-goal lead to win their first game of the World Cup, leapfrogging Scotland in Group C and leaving them in a potentially dangerous position ahead of their final group game against Brazil. Pundits were split over the decision after the final whistle, with former Scotland striker Duncan Ferguson claiming it was a "clear-cut penalty". "Absolutely, it was a penalty," he said on ITV. "There was a big touch and then McTominay went down. He was running at that speed, and I think he could have gone in [on goal]." However, Roy Keane and Ange Postecoglou held the opposite view to Ferguson, feeling that it would be too lenient if Steve Clarke's side were awarded a penalty. "I think he was trying to fall. There's a difference," said Keane, before Postecoglou added: "The Moroccan put his foot out but I don't think he touched it enough for it to be a penalty. He did cross in front of him, but not for a penalty. I think he did fall before - but Big Dunc said it was a clear penalty, so I'm not going to argue!" Unkel also noted that the Uzbek referee, Tantashev, is known for requiring more physical contact to convince himself of fouls, although Keane insisted that "this is a physical game". The decisive moment in the match proved to be Ismael Saibari's quickfire goal, which put Morocco ahead within 70 seconds in Boston. Scotland will face Brazil in their final Group C match in Miami on Wednesday, where they will hope to ensure qualification for the knockout rounds.