‘GUTTED’ McGHEE FACING AN SFA CHARGE

MARK McGHEE has been charged by the SFA over the flashpoint that saw him sent to the stands during Motherwell’s 7-2 thrashing by Aberdeen last week. The Fir Park manager was ordered from the technical area by referee Alan Muir following an altercation with fourth official John McKendrick. McGhee then took issue with an Aberdeen fan filming his dismissal on a mobile phone, with footage of that exchange becoming a social media sensation. The 59-year-old launched a blistering verbal attack on McKendrick in his postmatch media conference at Pittodrie, although no mention of those comments featured in the notice of complaint issued yesterday. McGhee will, however, face a principal hearing on March 16 to explain alleged breaches of disciplinary rule 203. The SFA charge claims the Scotland assistant manager ‘used offensive, abusing and/or insulting language and gestures towards a match official’ and that he ‘adopted aggressive behaviour towards a match official’. He has until next Tuesday to respond. McGhee could be facing a lengthy touchline ban if found guilty. In December, he was given a three-game suspension after being found guilty of abusive language towards referee John Beaton during a 2-0 defeat by Dundee. One of those games was suspended pending any further breach. Speaking in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s match, the Motherwell manager made it clear McKendrick was the focus of his ire. ‘I’m absolutely horrified by the attitude of the fourth official,’ he fumed. ‘It was a poor result. But the fourth official, before a ball was kicked, was causing issues which were unnecessary. ‘I was sitting on the bench making a couple of jokes about certain decisions and he reacted right away. ‘I’m not blaming the referee. He’s got to do what he says. But his attitude was disgusting.’ Asked at the time if he intended taking the matter up with the SFA’s head of referees John Fleming, McGhee replied: ‘Speak to John Fleming? I’ll speak to a lawyer about it. I start to think there is an agenda.’ In a subsequent interview, McGhee said he still felt harshly treated in both his sending-off and in terms of goading received from Aberdeen fans. ‘I just feel gutted,’ he said. ‘I feel the whole episode was so unfair. I still maintain I did nothing to deserve to be sent to the stand or the treatment that I got.’