Kyle Lafferty facing a 10-game ban as Kilmarnock issue fine over alleged sectarian comment
- Published
Kyle Lafferty might miss Kilmarnock's visit to Aberdeen on Saturday
Kilmarnock striker Kyle Lafferty could face a 10-match ban after he admitted letting himself and his club down over his alleged use of sectarian language.
The 35-year-old Northern Ireland international has received a club fine after a video appeared on social media.
He also faces a Scottish FA hearing on 20 October.
"Kyle regrets his actions and acknowledges that he has let down himself, his family, the club and the supporters," Kilmarnock stated.
The Scottish Premiership club say they have imposed "a substantial fine" and that Lafferty has agreed to work with an anti-sectarian charity.
"Kyle has also committed to supporting the club's community projects, which will see him participating in Nil by Mouth's educational initiatives, in addition to serving Kilmarnock's 'Football for All' programmes on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future," they say.
The SFA has accused Lafferty of not acting in the best interests of football and breaching a rule that forbids the use of insulting language, which includes reference to the likes of ethnic origin, race, nationality, religion or belief.
SFA rules state that the punishment for the latter is a mandatory minimum 10-match suspension, which can only be reduced "where exceptional circumstances are established".
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes had earlier said that he "can't say for certain" whether Lafferty will feature against Aberdeen on Saturday.
He was withdrawn from the Northern Ireland squad for their recent Nations League fixtures against Kosovo and Greece after Kilmarnock launched an investigation, with manager Ian Baraclough stating that a back injury had also been considered when the decision was made.
The former Motherwell manager insisted the incident was not necessarily the end of Lafferty's international career.