Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has explained his decision to drop holding midfielder Nigel de Jong from the Oranje squad for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Moldova and Sweden by claiming that the Manchester City star went too far with his tackle on Newcastle United's Hatem Ben Arfa.

Van Marwijk previously refused to take a stance against De Jong after his nasty challenges on USA midfielder Stuart Holden and Spain star Xabi Alonso, but his tackle at the weekend was clearly too much for the Holland gaffer.

"Nigel has simply gone too far this time. It really is a shame that this has happened. There are no winners in this situation. Hatem Ben Arfa has sustained a serious injury, Nigel is getting a lot of criticism and I will have to make do without one of my key players in two important games," Van Marwijk said during a press conference.

"I didn't need long to think about what I should do about this. I felt right away that Nigel's tackle was unacceptable. Nigel has already been involved in a number of incidents before and I've discussed those incidents with him. This was simply too much though.

"I couldn't reach Nigel until Monday morning to tell him about my decision. I don't take any pride in having made this decision. It's a sad story for all parties involved."

Van Marwijk didn't comment on whether he'd include De Jong in the Oranje squad again after this weekend's Euro 2012 qualifiers.