Lafferty remains available for Irish call-ups

RANGERS have confirmed that Kyle Lafferty will remain available for international selection — despite Northern Ireland blocking him from playing against Hamilton Accies on Sunday. The Irish FA invoked FIFA’s little-used five-day rule after the 31-year-old striker withdrew from his country’s recent Nations League double-header. Lafferty upset manager Michael O’Neill by calling him at midnight before the squad was due to meet up to say he was troubled by an Achilles problem and would not be travelling. After Northern Ireland then suffered back-to-back defeats against Austria and Bosnia, the IFA confirmed they would take the step of preventing the 31-year-old Ibrox forward from playing in his next club fixture. There had been speculation that the dispute could signal the end of Lafferty’s international career, but Rangers revealed that discussions had been held over recent days and that this was not the case. ‘Rangers can confirm Kyle Lafferty will not be available for the match against Hamilton on Sunday after the Irish FA invoked FIFA’s five-day rule,’ said a club statement. ‘Talks have now been held among all parties and Rangers understands the position of the Irish FA. ‘Kyle did not comply fully with international protocol but remains available for international selection.’ Under FIFA rules, players who withdraw injured from international duty can be prevented from playing for their club for a further five days after the end of the international window. The Ibrox club had hoped to persuade their IFA counterparts to permit Lafferty to face Accies at the Hope Stadium in their Premiership clash this weekend. But manager Steven Gerrard will now have to make do without the experienced frontman. Former Burnley, Norwich City and Hearts star Lafferty began a second spell at Rangers in August after completing a £450,000 switch from Tynecastle and has scored five goals this term.