img
Home chelsea club world cup luis enrique news psg video violent

Luis Enrique faces total ban after slapping João Pedro in Club World Cup final

Updated: • 0 • min read
Table of Contents
Luis Enrique faces total ban after slapping João Pedro in Club World Cup final
Photo: AFP
Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique is facing a potential all-football activity ban after slapping Chelsea star João Pedro following his team's 3-0 defeat in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.

The chaotic scenes unfolded at full-time in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where goals from Cole Palmer and Pedro handed Chelsea a dominant win in the first edition of FIFA's expanded 32-team tournament.

Enrique, visibly agitated, confronted Pedro and appeared to strike him on the side of the head, sparking a mass melee involving over 20 players and coaching staff.

The Spaniard has attempted to defuse the incident post-match, claiming he was trying to "separate players" to avoid escalation.
At the end of the match, there was a situation that I believe was completely avoidable, on everyone's part.

My goal and intention, as always, was to try to separate the players so there wouldn't be any more problems.

There was a lot of tension, a lot of pressure. From then on, there was a series of shoving matches from many people, which I think we should all avoid and shouldn't happen again.

FIFA Set to Open Disciplinary Investigation

FIFA has yet to confirm disciplinary proceedings but is expected to launch a full investigation into Enrique's conduct.

The challenge for world football's governing body is that PSG are not scheduled to compete in any FIFA-sanctioned matches until December, when they return for the Intercontinental Cup.

As a result, a "time-based" sanction - rather than a match-specific ban - is now likely.

Such a punishment would prevent Enrique from any matchday or training ground activities for a defined period.

This kind of penalty was famously used in 2014 when Luis Suárez was suspended for four months after biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.

João Pedro Responds: 'They Lost Their Heads'

Pedro, who scored the third goal and was on the receiving end of Enrique's slap, downplayed the incident while taking a subtle dig at PSG.
I went to protect Andrey [Santos]. I saw the players surrounding him. Like a good Brazilian, I went to protect a friend.

A lot of people were coming, and in that mess, I ended up getting pushed. It's part of the game. They don't know how to lose, I think.

Chelsea Crowned World Champions Again

Whilst the fracas dominated headlines, it shouldn't overshadow a sensational performance by Chelsea, who claimed their second Club World Cup title, becoming the first club to win the 32-team format.

Palmer was the standout star, netting two near-identical goals before assisting Pedro for the third.

Chelsea had the game sewn up by half-time, and a late red card to João Neves capped off a frustrating night for PSG.

Get new posts by email:
For any enquiries, please contact us here.

Post a Comment