SFA chief executive Gordon Smith has welcomed Rangers reaction to Kyle Lafferty feigning injury and has asked other clubs to follow their lead. Aberdeen's Charlie Mulgrew was red-carded after Lafferty collapsed in a heap after a head-to-head confrontation. Aberdeen director of football Willie Miller called for the SFA to "hammer" Lafferty and back up Smith's statements of intent to clamp down on cheating. Since then the SFA announced Lafferty had been referred to a review panel to determine whether he has a case to answer over the red card, which will also be reconsidered by the panel. However, Gordon Smith has suggested that clubs can do their bit to stamp out play-acting and not leave it to the Scottish governing body.

Rangers manager Walter Smith criticised Lafferty immediately after Saturday's game and the club fined him on Monday, sparking an apology from the player. SFA chief Smith has been prevented by FIFA in his attempts to introduce retrospective punishment for diving, with the governing body keen to preserve the authority of a referee's decision. And, while careful not to comment on the actual incident involving Lafferty, Smith has challenged Miller to act in the same way should an Aberdeen player commit a similar offence.

The SFA chief executive said: "I appreciate Willie Miller's recognition that I've tried to address the subject of cheating in football since I came into the Scottish FA job. It's not been easy getting the message across that it should be discouraged and eliminated in every event. I would see it as real progress if clubs started to react to such behaviour when perpetrated by their own players. This would, in my opinion, clean up the game very quickly. In that respect, I think a great deal of credit should go to Rangers for the manner in which they have acted this week. While I cannot comment on the specifics of the incident in question, I certainly hope that this sets a precedent among clubs as how to deal with simulation. From Willie Miller's comments I feel he would now react in the same way if an Aberdeen player was ever guilty of such behaviour. We all know and understand that simulation has no place in Scottish football."

Miller had challenged Smith to make an example of Lafferty. He said: "The SFA must come down hard on Lafferty's shameful diving and play-acting at Ibrox. When Gordon Smith became the SFA's chief executive he said he was desperate to clamp down on players feigning injury. This is the perfect opportunity for Smith to stand by his convictions by hammering Lafferty."