The Kilmarnock forward Kyle Lafferty has been given a ten-match suspension by the Scottish FA after a tribunal found that he was guilty of using sectarian slurs last month.
Lafferty, 35, was filmed — seemingly in a nightclub while on international duty — next to an individual who posed for a photograph, before saying “Up the Celts”. In response, Lafferty was heard referring to Celtic fans as a “pack of Fenian bastards”. After the circulation of the video on social media on Thursday, September 22, Lafferty was withdrawn from the Northern Ireland squad.
The SFA tribunal found that Lafferty was in breach of two of its disciplinary rules, 77 and 81, which relate to using abusive, indecent or insulting words, and discrimination respectively.
Kilmarnock, who have already issued their own internal punishment to Lafferty in the form of a fine, have accepted the SFA verdict.
Lafferty has made 13 appearances for Kilmarnock, including ten starts, in all competitions this season, scoring three goals.
In a statement issued by Kilmarnock, the forward said: “I want to deeply apologise to the club, supporters and my family for the distress caused over the past month. I totally acknowledge that my reaction to the incident was completely out of order. There is no excuse, it’s something that I immediately regretted and have been embarrassed about ever since. I absolutely accept that I should not have responded to provocation in that manner.
“I placed myself in a position that has been very difficult to deal with, so I’m now determined to work with Nil By Mouth [the anti-sectarian charity] to ensure that others, particularly the youngsters at the club, learn from my mistake and avoid putting themselves in any type of similar situation in the future.”
The statement by the Rugby Park club added: “Kilmarnock Football Club and Nil By Mouth will continue to work with Kyle, as well as members of the club’s first team and academy squads, to provide education and deliver training that has been developed to tackle the issue of sectarianism in society.”
