Roy Keane dismisses Scotland penalty claims in Morocco defeat: 'Scott McTominay is looking to go down'

Roy Keane dismissed Scotland's penalty appeals in their 1-0 defeat to Morocco, highlighting that he felt Scott McTominay "was looking to go down".

Steve Clarke's side knew victory would guarantee a place in the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time, but they were rocked after just 70 seconds when Ismail Saibari struck.

John McGinn appealed for a penalty not long after the restart after being brought down by Neil El Aynaoui, but it was deemed a fair challenge.

There was more penalty controversy when the Napoli midfielder McTominay went down under another dubious challenge from El Aynaou. But, again, the appeals were waved away.

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Keane said on ITV: "I don't think it's a penalty, he's looking to go down. It's a physical game. The referee let a lot go in the game, players were going down which would normally be a free-kick. So the referee had that attitude throughout the game especially in the box."

Sky Sports' Kris Boyd shared a similar view, though thought the McGinn challenge had more merit than the McTominay claim, saying: "For me, the McTominay one wasn't a penalty. The one on John McGinn I've seen given. Once it wasn't given on the field, it was never going to be overturned."

Scotland boss Steve Clarke said: "Everybody is talking about the Scott McTominay [penalty incident]. I actually looked at the John McGinn one, which was 50-50. Some referees would give it, some don't. Sometimes VAR will get involved.

"I was also a bit 50-50 with Che Adams one where he was last man. He has a chance to go through and he is brought down. Again, the VAR chooses yellow and backs the referee. There's nothing we can do about that."

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'I've never been in a game like that'

Scotland midfielders Ryan Christie and Lewis Ferguson also spoke on the McTominay and McGinn claims post-match, and both claimed that they thought that referee Ilgiz Tantashev was too lenient throughout proceedings.

Bournemouth star Christie said: "The one on McGinn I had a pretty good look at. I thought it could definitely be given. Not much was being given throughout the game to be honest. I've never been in a game like that, especially at this level. It's normally stricter than that. That's the most lenient I've seen."

Ferguson concurred, adding: "The first thing I thought was foul. I don't know why John or Scott would go down in the box if it wasn't a foul. I thought the referee let a lot go for both teams which I was pretty surprised about. I'd have to see it back before I make a clearer comment."

Adam: Recovering defender key in Adams incident

Former Scotland international Charlie Adam agreed that the Scots should've had a penalty for the challenge on McGinn, but gave an alternative view on Clarke's claim about the red card for a last man challenge on Adams.

He told Sky Sports: "I thought the John McGinn one was a definite penalty. I also get what Steve's talking about with Che Adams. The problem is his distance from the goal. There may have been an opportunity for the recovering defender.

"It's a clear foul. Maybe where the ball is going through to the goalkeeper. Would he have actually gotten on the end of it."

Clarke: I wish we could've started again!

After beating Haiti in their Group C opener, Clarke's side needed only a draw against the AFCON champions at the Boston Stadium to all-but guarantee a spot in the knockout stages.

However, Morocco showed why they are ranked sixth in the world, scoring through Saibari after 70 seconds - the earliest goal Scotland have conceded at a World Cup, on their return to the big stage after 28 years.

Scotland could still reach the last 32 if they finish on three points but a draw against Brazil in Miami next week would significantly boost their chances of a first-ever appearance in the knockout stage.

On the Morocco goal, Clarke said: "I wish we could start again! We lost a poor goal, we tried to step up when you want to track runners early in the game. We didn't defend it well, and that's why we went 1-0 down.

"I thought in the second period of the first half after the hydration break, we were good. We were good in the game, we had good momentum and carried that into the second half and had a right go.

"I'm proud of the players but we're all devastated and disappointed we didn't get the result we wanted to carry on in this tournament as long as we can."

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Roy Keane dismisses Scotland penalty claims in Morocco defeat: 'Scott McTominay is looking to go down'