Controversy erupted at the King Abdullah Sports City on Saturday evening as Al-Ittihad and Al-Khaleej opened their Roshn Saudi Pro League campaigns, the referee showing a red card to "the Dean's" Pereira during the second half.
Al-Ittihad had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Al-Khaleej at the start of their Roshn Pro League campaign. The two sides went at each other fiercely before Pereira's sending-off left "the Dean" to finish the game with ten men.
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Pereira saw red in the 57th minute. The video assistant referee flagged the incident for review, and the referee confirmed his decision to dismiss the Al-Ittihad player.
Fans were quick to weigh in. The call mattered, and it shaped the rest of the match, forcing Al-Ittihad to play more than half an hour a man down.
Refereeing expert Saad Al-Kathiri put the debate to bed. He backed the dismissal, confirming that the video technology's intervention was justified and that the red card followed an offence deserving the maximum punishment.
Pereira, Al-Kathiri explained, committed an offence with excessive force against the Al-Khaleej player. The tackle fell under the category of "violent play", which makes the sending-off correct from a refereeing standpoint.
The decision handed Al-Ittihad a fresh crisis in the match. Down to ten men, they ended up drawing 1-1 and dropping two points at the outset of their Roshn Pro League campaign.