Scotland's 1-0 defeat to Morocco was decided early by Ismael Saibari's goal after 2 minutes, but the bigger story came from the penalty claims that followed. Ryan Christie, John McGinn and Scott McTominay all ended up at the centre of a refereeing row that left Scotland arguing they should have had at least one spot-kick in Boston.

The McGinn and McTominay calls

Christie did not sound remotely convinced by the officiating. Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: "I had a pretty good look at the one on McGinn and thought a penalty could definitely be given – but not much was being given throughout the game. Honestly, I've never been in a game like that, especially at this level. It normally goes stricter the bigger the tournament you're in. But that referee was the most lenient I've seen in a long time – and maybe lenient is putting it nicely."

That view was echoed elsewhere. Neil McCann said the McGinn incident was a penalty and the McTominay one was not, while Christina Unkel called the McTominay challenge a missed VAR penalty and "a very clear penalty in my opinion." Roy Keane went the other way on that one, saying: "I don't think it was a penalty. As simple as that. He was kind of looking to go down. There's a difference."

Stephen McGinn also relayed the explanation John McGinn was given on the pitch. He said the referee told him the ball was going out of play, so it was not a foul, adding: "when has that ever been the case?"

Why Scotland still left with frustration

The frustration is easy to see because Scotland spent most of the night chasing. Saibari's strike after 2 minutes meant they were behind almost immediately, and Scotland have now scored only 1 goal across 2 Group C games. They also remain on 3 points, with Morocco top on 4.

Christie still took a more positive line about the group. "I'm proud of how we got back in the game, I really am," he said. "You look at other major tournament games we've played and obviously against Germany we didn't start right. That one went a very different way, so you can see this group of boys have learned from that."

That is fair enough, but the refereeing row will dominate the post-match mood. Scotland vs Morocco ended as a narrow defeat on the scoreboard, yet the two waved-away appeals, and the explanation around the McGinn call, are what Scotland will talk about before they face Brazil in Miami on 2026-06-24 22:00:00 UTC.

FAQ

Why are Scotland angry about the Morocco match?

Scotland lost 1-0 to Morocco, but the anger centred on two penalty appeals that were waved away, for John McGinn and Scott McTominay. Ryan Christie said the referee was the most lenient he had seen in a long time, while Neil McCann and Christina Unkel also backed the view that Scotland should have had at least one spot-kick.

Was John McGinn denied a penalty against Morocco?

Ryan Christie said the McGinn challenge could definitely have been a penalty, and Neil McCann said the McGinn one was a penalty while the McTominay one was not. Stephen McGinn also reported that the referee told John McGinn the ball was going out of play, so it was not a foul.

Did Scott McTominay deserve a penalty against Morocco?

The panel was split. Christina Unkel called it a very clear penalty in her opinion, and Duncan Ferguson said it could be given. Roy Keane disagreed, saying McTominay was looking to go down.

What is Scotland's next World Cup group match after Morocco?

Scotland's next group match is against Brazil in Miami on 2026-06-24 22:00:00 UTC. Scotland are third in Group C with 3 points from 2 matches, so the Brazil game still carries real qualification stakes.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →