Summerville in trouble: Al-Hilal considering docking half his salary

A heavy decision looms on the horizon

Al-Hilal have put any decision on punishing Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville on hold following the events of their AFC Champions League Elite clash with Qatar's Al-Gharafa.

The Saudi side beat Al-Gharafa 2-1 last Tuesday in the tournament's opening round, but the match turned ugly when a violent altercation between Summerville and one of the Qatari players ended with the Dutchman shown a red card.

Trouble flared in the 33rd minute. Al-Gharafa's Abdulrahman Fayez got into an off-the-ball scuffle with Summerville, and the Al-Hilal man reacted furiously, shoving his opponent off the pitch with real force.

Things then boiled over. Al-Gharafa winger Ismael Bennacer waded in and pulled Summerville by his hair, dragging several players from both sides into the melee along with members of the substitutes' benches.

The referee brandished red cards for both Summerville and Bennacer before tempers cooled and the game resumed.

Saudi journalist Abdulrahman Abaoud, speaking on the programme "Doreena Ghair", confirmed that the Al-Hilal management are waiting on the detailed match report from the referee and the AFC so they can review every incident from the clash.

Abaoud added that the club will also study extra footage of Summerville's dismissal before settling on the right punishment. He suggested they could impose an internal fine of up to 50% of the player's salary if his offence is proven, mirroring the sanction previously handed to Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

Summerville, 24, joined Al-Hilal from England's West Ham last summer in a deal worth 64.50 million euros.

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