NafisaDerek McInnes has finally explained what sparked his fiery touchline confrontation with Celtic coach Mark Fotheringham during Sunday’s Old Firm derby at Parkhead.
There was already plenty riding on the latest meeting between the Glasgow rivals, with Rangers arriving at Celtic Park having thrashed their city rivals 3-0 only a week earlier.
Celtic desperately needed a response.
Instead, another defeat followed.
Ryan Naderi’s first-half strike gave Rangers a 1-0 victory and completed a remarkable double over Celtic inside eight days. But before the visitors could celebrate another derby triumph, tensions had already boiled over between the two technical areas.
And once again, McInnes and Fotheringham found themselves at the centre of it.
McInnes and Fotheringham clash
The incident came in the early stages of the match following a challenge from Rangers defender Manny Fernandez.
Celtic forward Camilo Duran was attempting to race towards goal when Fernandez brought him down, prompting referee John Beaton to reach for his yellow card.
There was considerable frustration from the home side, with some Celtic supporters arguing that the challenge warranted a red card rather than a booking.
Beaton, however, decided that yellow was sufficient.
The decision appeared to infuriate McInnes, who immediately made his feelings known as the Rangers bench reacted to the situation.
Before the resulting free-kick could even be taken, the situation had developed into something considerably more heated.
Sky Sports cameras captured McInnes and Fotheringham squaring up to one another on the touchline, with officials forced to intervene and keep the two men apart.
Both coaches were subsequently booked.
It was another fiery chapter in what has already become an increasingly familiar rivalry between McInnes and Fotheringham.
And given the history between the pair, it was perhaps no surprise that the confrontation attracted so much attention.
McInnes finally reveals why they clashed
With Rangers eventually securing another huge Old Firm victory, McInnes was asked about the incident after the final whistle.
The Rangers manager did not offer an especially lengthy explanation.
Instead, he pointed towards what he believed was an imbalance in the early decisions.
Asked about the confrontation, the former Aberdeen and Kilmarnock boss said, via the Scottish Sun:
“It was 3-1 against me [fouls], and there was only two bookings.
“I was just sticking up for my team.”
That was essentially the entirety of McInnes’ explanation.
His argument was that Rangers had committed three fouls compared with Celtic’s one at that stage, yet both benches had picked up bookings during the resulting confrontation.
McInnes therefore insisted that his reaction was motivated by defending his players rather than simply attempting to provoke the Celtic bench.
But there was considerably more history behind the confrontation than the opening exchanges at Parkhead.
The pair have history
This was not the first time McInnes and Fotheringham have clashed on the touchline.
The pair were involved in another heated episode last season when McInnes was managing Hearts.
On that occasion, the Rangers boss had taken exception to Fotheringham’s reaction after Celtic scored at Tynecastle.
McInnes later made his feelings clear when discussing the incident.
“Nothing to do with Shaun or Martin, just a poor reaction.”
He also specifically referred to Fotheringham as an “inexperienced” coach.
“One of their inexperienced coaches, I didn’t like his reaction to scoring the goal.
“Nothing to do with Shaun or Martin, just a poor reaction.”
The comments added another layer to Sunday’s confrontation, with the two men now having crossed paths in similarly heated circumstances on more than one occasion.
Interestingly, Martin O’Neill defended his Celtic coach after the previous incident.
The Celtic manager pointed towards Fotheringham’s coaching experience in Germany and English football when responding to McInnes’ criticism, making it clear that he did not share the Rangers boss’ assessment.
That previous history inevitably made the latest confrontation more intriguing.
And this time, McInnes was once again at the heart of the dispute.
Rangers have the final word
Ultimately, though, the Rangers manager was able to walk away from Parkhead with the result he wanted.
Naderi’s first-half goal proved enough as Rangers held on for a 1-0 victory, completing consecutive wins over Celtic and putting another significant dent in O’Neill’s side.
The victory also meant the touchline confrontation became part of another memorable Old Firm afternoon for McInnes.
The Rangers boss had spent much of the opening stages furious with the decision against Fernandez, became embroiled in a confrontation with Fotheringham, and was then booked himself.
But when it mattered most, his team delivered.
And his explanation afterwards was remarkably simple.
McInnes insisted he was merely “sticking up for my team.”
Whether that explanation will end the latest chapter in his increasingly heated relationship with Fotheringham remains another matter.
Their history suggests it probably will not.
Nafisa
