Al Hilal will reportedly deduct half of Cresencio Summerville’s monthly salary after the Netherlands winger was suspended and fined by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for his dismissal against Al Gharafa in the AFC Champions League Elite.
The AFC announced on Thursday that Summerville would miss three matches and pay a $2,000 fine following his direct red card for misconduct in the meeting with the Qatari side.
Saudi journalist Abdulrahman Abaoud reported that Al Hilal would apply the club’s internal regulations and impose an additional punishment by withholding half of Summerville’s monthly wage.
Abaoud had previously said Al Hilal were waiting for the referee’s report and the AFC’s disciplinary decision before determining the extent of the winger’s responsibility for the incident.
The AFC also suspended Al Gharafa midfielder Ismael Bennacer for three matches. Bennacer was sent off during the same game and received a $2,000 fine, with both players punished for the incidents that occurred in the fixture.
Al Hilal beat Al Gharafa 2-1 in the match, which was played at Kingdom Arena in the middle of last month during the opening round of the league phase of the AFC Champions League Elite.
Summerville was dismissed in the 33rd minute after becoming involved in a confrontation with Bennacer, who was also shown a straight red card.
The reported deduction is not the first time Al Hilal have used a financial sanction against one of their players following a sending-off. According to Abaoud, the club previously imposed a similar penalty on Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly after he was dismissed in the King’s Cup final against Al Nassr two years ago.
Summerville’s three-match suspension means he will be unavailable to Al Hilal until the middle of their campaign in the Asian competition’s league phase. He will miss the matches against Qatari clubs Al Sadd and Al Shamal, as well as the fixture against United Arab Emirates side Shabab Al Ahli.
Al Hilal currently sit third in the West region standings with three points. They are behind Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates and Esteghlal of Iran on goal difference.
The club’s victory over Al Gharafa came despite both sides finishing the match with 10 players following the dismissals of Summerville and Bennacer.