There were a lot of great things to come out of Vancouver Whitecaps' 4-3 win at Portland Timbers on Sunday.
Whitecaps' midfielder Sebastian Fernandez smacking himself in the face after a tussle with Timbers defender Pa Modou Kah and then going to ground wasn't one of them.
The unsavory incident happened in the 44th minute of the match, drawing a mixture of condemnation and laughs from fans and pundits alike.
After such a scintillating match, with three huge points in the bag, and another road game coming up Saturday against the Philadelphia Union, the Fernandez incident is not what Whitecaps' head coach Carl Robinson would ideally like to be talking about. But he felt it was important to be addressed at training on Wednesday.
"I spoke to him at length yesterday, and as a group I told them it's not acceptable," Robinson told reporters. "We don't accept that. I don't condone that, the club won't condone that and it was dealt with internally and it won't be happening again."
Both players picked up a booking from referee Kevin Stott from the incident during the game, but Fernandez's card appeared to be issued for a delay of game after the Uruguayan picked the ball up and not simulation.
Fernandez was fined an undisclosed amount by the MLS Disciplinary Committee on Thursday for the incident.
Although such playacting moments are commonplace in soccer throughout the world, it's something Robinson feels has no place in the game or in any team he is part of.
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And while other players at the Whitecaps and in Major League Soccer may have had similar actions in the past without their coach publically speaking out about it, Robinson felt he wanted to send a clear message to get across to all of his current squad.
"It's not what I'm about as a head coach," Robinson said. "And it's not what the club is about. It's important that they know that.
"It does happen, but it's not going to happen with our club. I've made my feelings known, we've dealt with it and we move on. It's important that I make him aware that it's not acceptable and he won't be doing it again. I'll apologize for Seba, I'm sure he will and that won't happen again."
