TWO feminist groups say they will protest outside the grounds of Cliftonville football club tomorrow if striker Jay Donnelly is allowed to continue playing.
The 23-year-old was convicted on Friday of distributing an indecent image of a child after pleading guilty to the charge.
Belfast Feminist Network and Reclaim the Night said they are "completely disgusted by the actions of the club in continuing to play Donnelly."
And they say they will continue to protest "until Cliftonville FC take action" to remove him from their line-up.
Cliftonville are due to play Dungannon Swifts tomorrow at their north Belfast home ground.
The case against Donnelly, from Ardilea Drive in the Ardoyne area of Belfast, relates to a date unknown between June and October 2016.
He is due to be sentenced at Belfast City Magistrate's Court in January.
The player was on the team which lost to Linfield at Windsor Park on Saturday, the day after he appeared in court.
And despite the Public Prosecution Service confirming in January that they were pursuing the case, Cliftonville announced in May that they had signed the north Belfast player for another year.
In a statement, Belfast Feminist Network and Reclaim the Night said Donnelly's behaviour "was reprehensible and his conviction reflects this".
They said: "The attitude of Cliftonville FC shows a total disregard for the victim and exposes an acceptance of misogyny and predatory sexual behaviour.
"It would appear that the club have been more concerned with their own performance than the well-being of girls and young women within their community.
"If they continue to play such a high profile player as Donnelly now that he has been convicted they send a dangerous message to the many young fans for whom their players are supposed to be role models ... if Jay Donnelly is playing on Saturday there will be a protest organised by Belfast Feminist Network and Reclaim the Night outside the ground."
The statement added: "We are also seeking information from the club’s leadership about actions they will take to stamp out misogyny and ensure players are educated on sexual consent as part of their role."
The Irish News attempted to contact Cliftonville FC for a comment yesterday but they did not respond.
