Former Paris Saint-Germain star Nene could be set for a lengthy ban after sparking a mass brawl following his sending off in a Qatar Stars Cup match last night.
Brazilian winger Nene, who only left PSG to join Al-Gharafa a few months ago, had been dismissed for a second booking late in a match against Al-Arabi when his attempts to argue with the referee were halted by opponent Houssine Kharja.
Morocco midfielder Kharja can be seen gently shoving Nene with his shoulders, before the ex-PSG and Monaco man loses his head completely, punching his adversary in the side of the head.
All hell breaks loose, with players from both sides throwing punches and Kharja – in a delayed reaction after initially appearing shocked by the punch – flying into a karate kick into Nene.
While playing in France, Nene had been in trouble on a couple of occasions for his behaviour, although he was more prone to sulks and verbal outbursts than anything of a violent nature.
Al-Arabi won the match 2-1 but don’t expect things to end there – both clubs are expected to be in serious trouble, while Nene and Kharja will be in line for very severe bans.
And so they should: the incident is spookily similar to Joey Barton's reaction to being sent off on the last day of the season against Manchester City last year, in which the then-QPR player started lashing out at everyone after being given his marching orders.
That incident led to Barton being banned for 11 matches - and led directly to him being loaned out to Marseille.