Leigh Griffiths, a former striker for Scotland and Celtic, was fined £1,000 at Dundee Sheriff Court. Celtic and Dundee each handed him fines of £15,000 and £1,000 for the incident that took place during a League Cup game in September 2021.
Overview of the incident involving Leigh Griffiths kicking a smoke bomb during a football match
On September 22, 2021, in Dundee, Scotland, Leigh Griffiths of Dundee kicked a blue smoke bomb thrown on by St Johnstone fans during a Premier Sports Cup quarterfinal game between Dundee and St Johnstone at the Kilmac Stadium at Dens Park.
For throwing a blue flare into the crowd during a League Cup game in 2021, Leigh Griffiths received a fine.
Details of the fines levied by Celtic, Dundee, and the court against Griffiths for his actions.
Griffiths, who was on loan from Celtic to Dundee at the time of the incident, was reportedly fined £15,000 by the Glasgow club, £1,000 by Dundee, and now a further £1,000 fine in court with seven days to pay, according to information provided to Dundee Sheriff Court.
To attend the sentencing, Griffiths had traveled in from Australia, where he currently plays for Mandurah City.
Four thousand five hundred people attended the game, with 1,300 of them in the St. Johnstone section, based on testimony given in court. At around 9.10 p.m., according to fiscal depute Lora Apostolova, a goal was scored, and a smoke bomb was thrown onto the pitch, producing blue smoke.
She claimed that the suspect “ran toward the spot where the smoke bomb landed and kicked the smoke bomb in the direction of the St. Johnstone supporters.”
Leigh Griffiths was fined by both teams while on loan from Celtic to Dundee at the time. She claimed that when Griffiths kicked the smoke bomb back into the crowd, he raced 30 to 40 yards and hit a fan with it, causing damage to his jeans. Nobody was hurt.
Explanation of Leigh Griffiths’ involvement in the incident, including his response to the smoke bomb.
Attorney Larry Flynn defended Griffiths, claiming that the case needed to be resolved for the football player to fulfill a requirement for his Australian visa. According to him, Griffiths chose to “take matters into his own hands” and kick the obstruction out of the way so that play could resume.
In addition to reading a statement Griffiths issued at the time apologizing to fans for his behavior, Mr. Flynn said that Griffiths’ actions were not driven by malice. Griffiths, who is performing in Australia right now, traveled to Dundee for the sentencing.
Griffiths would have faced a £1,500 fine if not for his early guilty plea, according to Sheriff George Way, who stated in his sentence that a “financial penalty” was required.
The sheriff stated, “I am willing to recognize that this was careless. He is attempting to support himself in Australia. After beginning his football career in 2006 at Livingston, Griffiths then played for Dundee in 2009 and Wolves in 2010.
Before being called up for Scotland in 2012, he spent time on loan at Hibernian. He then played for Celtic, Dundee once more, then Falkirk.
