Explosive Drama: Leigh Griffiths Sparks Controversy with Fiery Kick into Crowd during Match

Leigh Griffiths, the former Scotland and Celtic striker, has incurred a fine of £17,000 due to his act of kicking a lit flare into a crowd during a League Cup match. On September 22, 2021, the 33-year-old acknowledged the charge of culpable and reckless conduct stemming from his actions at Dens Park during a game between Dundee and St Johnstone.

Griffiths, who was loaned from Celtic to Dundee at the time, faced fines for his actions. He was fined £15,000 by Celtic, £1,000 by Dundee, and now faces an additional £1,000 fine at court with a seven-day deadline for payment. Griffiths flew in from Australia, where he currently plays for Mandurah City, to attend the sentencing.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that around 4,500 individuals were present at the match. Among them, approximately 1,300 fans of St Johnstone were situated in the away stand.

According to fiscal depute Lora Apostolova, a goal was successfully scored around 9.10pm. Subsequently, a smoke bomb was maliciously thrown onto the field, releasing blue smoke.

"The accused ran towards the area the smoke bomb landed and then kicked the smoke bomb towards where St Johnstone fans were standing," she said.

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Leigh Griffiths was on loan at Dundee from Celtic at the time and was fined by both clubs

Griffiths, according to her, sprinted a distance of 30 to 40 yards to return the smoke bomb back into the stand, inadvertently hitting a fan who suffered damage to his jeans. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Larry Flynn, the lawyer representing Griffiths, argued that in order for the footballer to fulfill a requirement for his Australian visa, the charges needed to be dropped.

Griffiths took matters into his own hands and kicked the device out of the way to allow play to continue, according to him. Mr. Flynn stated that there was no malicious intent in Griffiths' actions and read a statement from the player apologizing to fans for his behavior.

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Griffiths flew to Dundee from Australia for his sentencing, where Sheriff George Way stated the importance of imposing a "financial penalty." Due to Griffiths' early guilty plea, he was spared a £1,500 fine.

The sheriff acknowledged: "I understand that this was a reckless act. He is attempting to build a new life for himself in Australia."

Griffiths initiated his football journey at Livingston in 2006, then progressed to Dundee in 2009, and subsequently joined Wolves two years later.

He spent a spell on loan Hibernian, before being called up for Scotland in 2012, and went onto play for Celtic, Dundee again and Falkirk.