Livingston manager David Martindale apologised after a fan allegedly spat at the member of the Ross County staff deep in injury time in the play-off final, first-leg, in West Lothian.
The incident happened immediately after Ronan Hale netted six minutes into stoppage time and then fans in the main stand then stood to see what was happening after spotting a fracas near the County dugout.
Ross County’s chief executive, Steven Ferguson, claimed a member of his staff had been spat on and confirmed the matter was being dealt with by relevant authorities.
His manager, Don Cowie, praised the actions of Livingston staff after the alleged incident at the Set Fare Arena and he claimed: “A supporter has crossed the line in terms of their action and the game is full of emotion, we get a penalty in the last minute.
“Carrying out an action which is not acceptable, we want to protect our people. It is disgusting what happened, but we wanted to calm the situation.
“Whether it is football or not, there is no place for it in society.”
Martindale (pictured at the media briefing by Nigel Duncan) revealed: “I’m not too versed on it but, from what I have heard, it’s vile. It’s disgusting. It’s disappointing and is not a reflection on our full fan base. It is one individual.
“I apologise on behalf of the club, there is not much more I can do. I am sure the powers that be at the club will deal with it promptly and efficiently, but football has been getting out of hand in the past two or three years.
“This old analogy of: ‘I pay my money and I can shout what I want’. I do feel a certain part of the fan base feel then can come (to a football match) and shout abuse. I don’t believe in it.
“This is the only sport in the world where you can come and abuse your own players, fellow players. It does not represent our fan base. I have been here 11 years and that is the first time that I have known something like this has happened. Really, really disappointed.”
