Former Dundee and Scotland striker Leigh Griffiths has been fined a total of £17,000 for booting a smoking flare into a crowd of St Johnstone supporters.
The player admitted endangering St Johnstone fans during a cup match while he was playing for Dundee by kicking the smoke bomb into the away stand at Dens Park.
Dundee Sheriff Court was told Griffiths was on loan from Celtic at the time and was having his salary paid by them while he played for Dundee.
He was fined two weeks wages – £15,000 – by the Parkhead club.
The court was told Dundee were only paying bonuses to Griffiths under the loan deal but they also fined him £1,000 for kicking the flare into the Bob Shankly Stand.
Sheriff George Way fined Griffiths a further £1,000 on Wednesday and said it was appropriate – given the way money rules football – a financial penalty be imposed on the player.
Griffiths had flown back from Australia for the court appearance and will return for promotion play-offs with his current team Mandurah City this weekend.
The court was told Griffiths is currently playing for nothing and the outcome of the court case would have a bearing on whether he would be granted a visa for longer-term work in Australia.
Endangered fans
Griffiths, 33, previously admitted acting in a culpable and reckless way by kicking the pyrotechnic device into a group of 1,800 away fans on September 22 2021.
He admitted striking David Soutar with the smoke bomb.
The device stained Mr Soutar’s jeans but did not cause injury.
The former Wolves frontman “culpably and recklessly kicked a flare, smoke bomb or similar item into the crowd occupying the Bob Shankly Stand.”
He admitted “in doing so, he did cause the said flare, smoke bomb or similar item to strike David Soutar on the body, all to the danger of the lieges.”
Griffiths must be fed up of it already pic.twitter.com/2ecf8cOFt9
— Ritchie Mulligan (@RitchieMulligan) September 22, 2021
Fiscal depute Lora Apostolova told the court: “St Johnstone scored a goal where the supporters were.
“A couple of smoke bombs landed on the pitch.
“They were not near any player from either team.
“The accused ran from about 40 yards away towards the area where the smoke bombs landed and kicked one towards the stand where the St Johnstone fans were.”
She said the flare flew into a crowd of people and struck Mr Soutar at the bottom of his leg.
She said fans caught the incident on their phones as they filmed the post-goal celebrations.
Dundee lost the Premier Sports cup match 0-2.
Smoke bomb ‘frustration’
Solicitor Larry Flynn, defending, said Griffiths was frustrated by the smoke bomb holding up the re-start of the match.
He said the steward who would have cleared the device had not been given the go-ahead to do so.
Mr Flynn said: “This was a local derby.
“He was playing for Dundee, on loan from Celtic.
“His wages were being paid by Celtic. They fined him two weeks wages, £15,000.
“He was also fined £1,000 by Dundee FC, so a total of £16,000.
“That was perhaps at the height of his football career.
“He has started playing in Australia.
“It is not at the level he was playing in the Premiership in Scotland.
“This case has impacted his application for a visa and that is still pending.
“At the moment he is not being paid and is surviving on income he made as a professional footballer.”
Apology to police
Mr Flynn told the court Griffiths had apologised for the incident prior to the police becoming involved.
Griffiths said: “It is regrettable it ended up in the stand.
“My intention was to move it from the pitch.
“Having just lost a goal I was eager to get the match re-started as quick as possible and I would like to apologise for the distress caused by my actions.”
Sheriff Way said: “No-one was harmed and I accept he wasn’t doing it as revenge or to stir up the enemy.
“He obviously needs to move on and as he has suffered quite a significant financial penalty – as he should – I will moderate what I would otherwise have fined him.
“I am conscious of the fact the game now seems to be driven by money.
“It seems appropriate that he has suffered financial penalties here.”
Griffiths – who declined to comment at court – was given seven days to pay the £1,000 fine.
Hit heights with Scotland
Griffiths started his career at Livingston where he made his debut as a sixteen-year-old, before moving to Dundee in 2009 for £125,000.
He moved to Wolves for around £150,000 in January 2011 and spent a period on loan with Hibs, where he won the SFWA Footballer of the Year award.
Griffiths then moved to Celtic, where he scored 90 goals in 173 games, and established himself as a regular member of the Scotland squad.
He scored four times in 22 international appearances, including a double against England.
He moved back to Dundee on loan before a brief unsuccessful spell with Falkirk.
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