SFA to pay Kennedy compensation

The Scottish Football Association are set to reach agreement with Celtic over compensation for defender John Kennedy.

The 22-year-old has not played since suffering knee ligament damage after an horrific tackle by Romania striker Vio Ganea in a friendly at Hampden Park in March 2004.

The Hoops centre-back has undergone extensive surgery since the injury.

Now SFA chief executive David Taylor has confirmed the Celtic Park club will receive a payment, reportedly worth £250,000 (€371,000).

Taylor told the Scottish Daily Mail: “Celtic will receive a compensation payment with respect to John Kennedy’s wages following his injury with Scotland.

“But that figure is capped at a certain level.

“We are very aware of this issue and it came up in our discussions with the other home associations last week.

“Wales and Northern Ireland have withdrawn their insurance cover for international players, while Scotland and England are among the few European nations who have maintained it.

“Withdrawing the cover for Scotland players is not on our current agenda - but you could say it is at the back of our minds.

“The premiums are very high for the SFA.”