Celtic winger Aleksandar Tonev has insisted he is not a racist as he prepares to resume a seven-match ban for abusing Aberdeen full-back Shay Logan.

The on-loan Aston Villa player was described as neither a "credible or reliable" witness by a Scottish Football Association-appointed judicial panel in a report that was made public on Tuesday after he lost his appeal against his ban for using racist language.

In a statement posted on the Celtic website, Tonev said: "A lot has happened in the last few months. It has been a very difficult time for me and everyone involved. All I can do is move on from this now.

"I have made my case all along that I never used the words I was accused of using. I say again that I did not do this, I know what I am and I am not a racist.

"I want everyone to understand that, most of all the Celtic fans, who have been a great support to me since coming to the club. I know what happened and I know that I will definitely recover from this as a stronger person."

Celtic have stood by the Bulgarian despite parts of his evidence being described as "unsatisfactory".

The club vowed to address the case with the SFA following the verdict of the appeal panel, which called for both its report and the original panel's findings to be made public.

Tonev has already served the first of his seven-match suspension before Celtic appealed and the next match he is eligible for is against Ross County on January 24.