BBC pundit handed touchline ban for seething Rangers 'lies' rant live on air

Pundit and Motherwell coach Richard Foster has been handed a six-game touchline ban for tearing into the SFA live on air.

Foster was on radio punditry for the BBC during Rangers' Premier Sports Cup win over St Johnstone, when he made his outburst over the explanation of Cyriel Dessers' goal at Hampden. Match officials Matthew MacDermind and VAR Greg Aitken came in for stick over the handling of the second half incident, and after an SFA explanation deemed that the whistler hadn't blown for a St Johnstone free-kick in the build-up, a seething Foster branded that 'lies.'

He later apologised for his rant but his case was heard by the SFA on Thursday. And Foster, currently head of coaching at Motherwell, won't be allowed in the dugout for the next 4 games after being found to have breached Rule 77, with two more suspended. An SFA disciplinary update reads: "Admitted. Six match suspension applied as follows: Four matches immediate, and two matches suspended until the end of Season 2024/25, suspended sanction applicable only should Richard Foster further breach Disciplinary Rule 77 within this period."

Walking back his tirade, Foster later said: "I don't think the issue is my take on the incident, my issue is what I said, which I shouldn't have implied that there was anything going on with the SFA statement.

"At the time I was probably more a football fan than a pundit and I used the wrong choice of words and got caught up in the excitement of what was happening. But the goal should stand, the decision itself to award the foul would have been wrong anyway and I think they got the right decision which is the most important thing. I wish I hadn't said it but I did."

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