END FOR LOPEZ SHOULD CALEY FIND HIM GUILTY

STRIKER Dani Lopez looks to have played his last game for Inverness Caley Thistle if a club investigation finds he spat on a rival player. Boss John Hughes indicated that the Spaniard will be sacked after insisting the alleged incident in Tuesday’s Under-20s clash with St Johnstone breached his club’s values and principles. Lopez, 30, was immediately suspended — and told to stay away from the stadium and training ground — after being red-carded following a flashpoint involving Saints youngster Neil Martyniuk. Martyniuk was also dismissed for striking out at Lopez, who the referee deemed had spat on his opponent. After witnessing the incident, Hughes is said to have apologised unreservedly to Saints counterpart Tommy Wright. And yesterday he said there was no place for such behaviour at Inverness — or in any walk of life. ‘We feel we’ve taken the right action by telling [Lopez] to stay away from the club,’ he said. ‘That sends a message to the whole of Scottish football and all the young kids. ‘Allegedly, what he’s done, there’s no place for that in Scottish football. There’s no place for that in society, never mind on a football pitch. If that is the case, I wouldn’t even mind if they turned around and stuck one right on his chin, because there’s no place for that. ‘The way we’ve dealt with it lets people know we have fantastic values at this club. ‘Nobody is outwith those values and rules we set. There’s nobody bigger than the club. ‘There’s still an investigation going on, we’re still waiting on referee’s reports, but the image and profile of the club is foremost.’ Lopez, who signed a oneyear deal with Inverness in the summer, scored a 32nd-minute winner in the Under-20s match. The Madrid-born striker has struggled to make an impact at the club. He was thrown straight into the European tie against Romanians Astra Giurgiu in July, but has made just six appearances and scored once — in a 4-2 defeat to Celtic. Before joining Inverness, Lopez had been back in Spain playing for minnows La Roda after an injuryplagued spell in England.