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Donnelly was initially sentenced to four months in prison in January

Former Cliftonville striker Jay Donnelly has been suspended from football until September by the Irish Football Association.

The 24-year-old, who is serving a three-month prison sentence for distributing an indecent image of a child, was charged by the IFA with bringing the game into disrepute.

The ban means he cannot play any affiliated football until 1 September.

Donnelly was sacked by Cliftonville last week.

The sacking came after he was sentenced to three months in prison at Belfast County Court, after an appeal judge reduced his original four-month term by a month.

"The Disciplinary Committee of the Irish FA has today charged Jay Donnelly with a breach of Article 17 of the Articles of Association (Bringing the game of Association Football into disrepute) and suspended him from all affiliated football until 1 September 2019," read an IFA statement.

"Mr Donnelly has the right to challenge the charge and/or sanction."

Donnelly took a photograph of a 16-year-old girl while they were having sex in June 2016.

He admitted the charge of distributing an indecent image of a child in November and was sentenced to four months in prison in January.

The striker had been on bail pending the outcome of last week's sentence appeal.