Lafferty apologises after being hit with 10-match ban

Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty has apologised for any "distress caused" after he was handed a 10-match ban by the Scottish FA following their investigation into his alleged use of sectarian language.

Lafferty had previously received a club fine after a social media video showed the former Rangers and Hearts player reacting when a man posing for a photo with him says "Up the Celts".

The 35-year-old was accused of not acting in the best interests of football and breaching a rule which forbids the use of insulting language which includes reference to the likes of ethnic origin, race, nationality, religion or belief.

Kilmarnock have confirmed that they have accepted the punishment and said that as well as working with the anti-sectarian charity Nil By Mouth, that Lafferty has committed to assisting their 'Football for All' programmes on a weekly basis.

Lafferty released a statement on the Kilmarnock website apolosing for his actions.

"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 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."