St Johnstone have received an apology from Inverness striker Dani Lopez after he was hit with a “substantial” fine by Caley Thistle chiefs for spitting at a young Perth player.
The 30-year-old Spanish striker spat at St Johnstone’s Neil Martyniuk during an under-20s match last week.
The former Atletico Madrid youngster was sent off following the incident and also suspended by his club.
Now the Highlanders have fined the player two weeks’ wages as punishment on top of the two-match ban he has received from the Scottish Football Association.
Lopez – who has scored once in nine appearances for Inverness since signing in the summer – said: “I would like to most sincerely apologise for my actions during the under-20s game with St Johnstone on November 17. With my poor behaviour, I let down the club, supporters and team-mates.
“I would also like to extend my apology to St Johnstone FC. In addition, I regret the stress caused to my family.
“As an experienced player in a relatively young squad, I should set a good example to others and on this occasion I failed to do so.
“This was very out of character for me and I assure everyone that it won’t be repeated, my wish is that we can now move on and I can help the team as much as I can.”
Chairman Cameron added: “We believe Dani’s actions were indefensible. However, we’ve taken into account his apology and sincere regret for his inappropriate behaviour. He has assured us he has learnt a salutary lesson with regard to his future conduct while with this club.
“After consultation with the management team and players we’ll be donating Dani’s fine to the players’ Christmas charity where presents are distributed to those less fortunate.
“As a family club, we pride ourselves on our values and responsibility to the local community. In the heat of the moment, Dani neglected these values.”