KESH footballer Kyle Lafferty has admitted he made “mistakes and you have to live with them” after he opened up on his 10-game ban for a sectarian remark which damaged his career.
Now playing for lower division Scottish side Johnstone Burgh, the 37-year-old was banned for 10 games in September 2022, while playing for Kilmarnock, for a sectarian comment he made to a Celtic fan.
It effectively brought an end to his playing career at Kilmarnock. The Kesh man was withdrawn for Northern Ireland and the 89-cap striker has not featured for his international side since then.
“I’m not going to sit here and blame anyone else, the words came out of my mouth,” he told BBC.
“It could have been handled better slightly, maybe. I felt I was flung under the bus in a way. Never getting a [Northern Ireland] call-up since, was it down to that video? I don’t know.”
Lafferty enjoyed a stellar career which included spells at Burnley, Rangers, Norwich City and Sunderland, while also spending time with clubs in Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, Cyprus and Norway.
The striker, who played a key role in Northern Ireland qualifying for Euro 2016, was disappointed with his end to his international playing career.
“Not reaching a 100 caps, I blame myself for it, I should be well into a 100. I wouldn’t change my career for a second but there are disappointments,” Lafferty reflected.
“It is tough not being able to play my last game at Windsor in front of the fans, I had a great relationship with them.
“I like to think they always knew I was giving 110% but it is what it is. It’s football, you make mistakes and you have to live with them.”
The Kesh man, who revealed that he has struggled with a severe gambling addiction, said that the finish to his Kilmarnock and Northern Ireland career caused a relapse.
“I think I started when I was 12 and my last bet was six months ago. I was off it for three and a half years. Addiction is addiction,” Lafferty said.
“If you don’t follow your programs or control your addictions you fall back into and unfortunately I fell back into it.
“I went and got proper help from the right people and I’m now coming up to six months clean again.”
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