Former SNP chief Ian Blackford has attacked the Scottish FA's ban on Michael Stewart as "farcical and pathetic."
The ban saw Stewart locked out of Premier Sports' live coverage of the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
Stewart, a former Hearts and Hibs midfielder, has been openly critical of the refereeing standards in Scotland.
This included "cover-up" accusations during a St Mirren and Hibs game in November, for which he was forced to apologise.
Initially scheduled to commentate on the semi-finals at Hampden, Stewart was informed he wasn't welcome at the stadium.
Even after working from the production truck in the car park, Stewart was told he was banned from there, too, and told not to show up later today for the second tie of the weekend.
Blackford, who served as the SNP's Westminster leader from 2017 to 2022, took to his X account on social media to voice his concerns over the pundit's treatment.
This is farcical and pathetic from @ScottishFA who really ought to grow up and stop the petulance. @mstewart_23 is a respected broadcaster. The attempt by the SFA to cancel Michael is shameful. https://t.co/v66qKE965R
— Ian Blackford (@blackfordian1) April 18, 2026
The former SNP leader said: "This is farcical and pathetic from @ScottishFA who really ought to grow up and stop the petulance.
"@mstewart_23 is a respected broadcaster. The attempt by the SFA to cancel Michael is shameful."
Premier Sports also confirmed that Stewart was prohibited from even entering the car park after their attempts to keep him involved.
They said: "Premier Sports are extremely disappointed with the SFA’s decision to ban a valued member of our team from covering matches inside Hampden.
"We believe this is setting a dangerous precedent and do not see any merit in attempting to control who is allowed to comment on our national game at the national stadium.
"We fully support Michael’s right to air his opinions on important issues relating to football and we will continue to give him as many opportunities as possible to do so."
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