Kilmarnock striker Kyle Lafferty has voiced his regret after being hit with a 10-game ban for using sectarian language.
The suspension will keep the Northern Ireland international out of action until his club's Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Celtic on January 14/15.
It is the mandatory minimum punishment after being charged by the Scottish Football Association for breaching a rule which forbids the use of insulting language which includes reference to the likes of ethnic origin, race, nationality, religion or belief.
Read more: Kyle Lafferty hit with 'substantial fine' as striker voices 'regret' over video
Last month Kilmarnock hit Lafferty with a "substantial fine" after a video circulated online appearing to show the striker make a comment to a man in a bar who said "Up the Celts".
At the time of the incident Lafferty was axed from Northern Ireland's squad for their Nations League games against Kosovo and Greece, with manager Ian Baraclough stating that a back injury had also been considered when the decision was made.
Speaking on the SFA's punishment, Lafferty said: "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 (Scotland's leading anti-sectarian charity) 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."
Kilmarnock issued its own statement last month after the video circulated online.
They said Lafferty would work with anti-sectarian charity Nil By Mouth, while the 35-year-old has committed to assisting Kilmarnock's 'Football for All' programmes on a weekly basis.
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