The Penalty That Was Not Awarded

Disaster Index: 5.8 Entry: The Penalty That Was Not Awarded Cause: A second-half incident involving John McGinn not resulting in a penalty decision against Morocco; the appeal entered into the public record by the player himself. Category: Respectably Unlucky Evidence: McGinn's assessment — "got away with one" — is not the language of invention. It is the language of a man who has been in contact with the ground and the ball and the decision in that order. One penalty, unawarded. One point, the current return from a fixture Scotland required to go differently. Historical precedent: Scotland's relationship with penalty decisions in tournaments extends to incidents the taxonomy has long since classified without resolution. The 1978 and 1998 campaigns each produced moments where the gap between what happened and what was given was noted, recorded, and then carried home. Affected parties: Scotland squad; supporters who organised hope around a positive Group C result; the case file now building toward the Brazil fixture. Immediate outlook: The claim is in the record. Whether it is evidence or consolation depends on what happens next. Filed: 20 June 2026 / Scotland v Morocco, Group C, Boston