Griffiths fined £17k for kicking lit flare on fans

Former Scotland and Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths has been fined a total of £17,000 for booting a smoking flare into a crowd of rival 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 that 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 that 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 today and said it was appropriate – given the way money rules football that 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.

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.”