A shocking punishment awaits Danilo Pereira after his attempt to assault the referee

During the Clasico

Al-Ittihad's Portuguese midfielder Danilo Pereira could be hit with a four-match ban after the ugly scenes that followed his side's 3-2 defeat to Al-Hilal in the headline fixture of the eighth round of the Roshn Saudi Pro League.

The flashpoint came at the final whistle. Several Al-Ittihad players surrounded referee Khaled Al-Turais to protest his decisions, and Pereira was right in the thick of it. Now everyone waits to see what the disciplinary panel makes of it.

Legal expert Fahd Al-Quhaiz, speaking on the programme "Al-Montasaf", called the behaviour of the Al-Ittihad players unacceptable. He went further on Pereira, suggesting the midfielder's conduct towards the official could be classed as an attempted assault, which would leave him facing sanctions.

Four matches is the figure Al-Quhaiz floated as a possible ban from the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee. Everything hinges on the steps the committee takes and the official ruling it issues on the events of the match.