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Ross County manager Jim McIntyre insists Alex Schalk’s controversial dive against Celtic was unacceptable after the club accepted the Dutchman’s two-match ban.
The Scottish FA yesterday meted out the retrospective punishment for a breach of disciplinary rule 201 after the striker won a penalty, which was converted by Liam Boyce, by conning referee Don Robertson during the dying stages of Sunday’s controversial 2-2 draw with Celtic.
Schalk fell to the ground under a challenge from Hoops defender Erik Sviatchenko but television footage showed that there was no contact.
McIntyre refused to condemn the player after the game, saying that 24-year-old had been ‘expecting contact’.
But with the Schalk now having been hit with a ban, McIntyre accepts that the former NAC Breda marksman let himself and the club down.
McIntyre, who is set to be without the forward for games against Inverness and Motherwell as the Staggies look to move away from Premiership relegation trouble, said: “Alex was in the wrong, there was no contact. He has come and apologised to me personally.
“He is very upset about it because he has never been involved in an incident like this before, he’s never been booked for simulation so he was quite distraught, actually, when he viewed the footage back.
“It doesn’t look good, we as a club will take that punishment on the chin and Alex and I have had a conversation, he knows it is unacceptable and it won’t happen again.”
McIntyre concedes that the one-time Netherlands Under-21 internationalist has also now made himself a target for referees.
Speaking to STV, McIntyre, added: “His reputation will be tarnished, but as I say he has never been involved in an incident like this before, he has ever been booked for simulation.
“From our point of view, we know that Alex will be getting looked at because he has done it before but it is up to Alex to make sure that he is not involved in any other scenarios.”
