Former Rangers star admits feigning injury to avoid international call-ups as sectarian remark addressed

The former Rangers and Kilmarnock striker scored 20 goals in 89 caps for his country but has not been selected since receiving a 10-game ban from the Scottish Football Association in September 2022 after a video of him making a sectarian remark was shared on social media.

The 37-year-old, who now plays for Johnstone Burgh in the Scottish sixth tier, admits he has major regrets about some of his early career choices which likely cost him the chance to become an international centurion.

"[I] didn't turn up at times when I should have," Lafferty told BBC Sport NI. "Not reaching a 100 caps, I blame myself for it, I should be well into a 100. I wouldn't change my career for a second but there are disappointments.

"Deciding to go on holiday instead of playing for your country at times. This was like when I was 21, 22, 23, just knowing that I'd done well previously that I'd get another call-up, taking liberties like I said.

"Maybe throwing in an injury where the rest of the team I was at might have been getting a few days off and taking the days off rather than going to play for your country."

Asked to confirm he had feigned injury, he added: "I wasn't injured, yeah, just stuff like that. Just daft stuff that you look back and think 'it was just so stupid of me'."

Lafferty won six trophies at Rangers including three Scottish Premiership titles and also had spells playing in Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, Norway and Cyprus. He also won promotion with Kilmarnock but was released shortly after serving his 10-man ban in January 2023. While accepting he made a mistake with his sectarian remark, he feels the situation could have been handled better.

"I'm not going to sit here and blame anyone else, the words came out of my mouth," he said. "It could have been handled better slightly, maybe. I felt I was flung under the bus in a way. Never getting a call-up since, was it down to that video? I don't know.

"It is tough not being able to play my last game at Windsor in front of the fans, I had a great relationship with them. "I like to think they always knew I was giving 110% but it is what it is. It's football, you make mistakes and you have to live with them."