Sad ending to the Club World Cup: Chelsea and PSG brawl with Luis Enrique implicated
The first edition of the Club World Cup ended badly. Not because of the result, with Chelsea surprisingly winning , but because of the brawl that erupted after the final whistle at MetLife Stadium between Blues players and PSG players, with Luis Enrique, the Parisian team's coach, also implicated.
After a particularly heated end to the match, with harsh and ill-timed tackles, the Asturian coach went to an area where Achraf Hakimi and Gianluigi Donnarumma were arguing with João Pedro. The Spaniard then touched the Brazilian's face, causing him to fall to the ground, and his pupil Kimpembe held him back to prevent the brawl from escalating.
Meanwhile, several members of both clubs continued to engage in a dispute that didn't escalate. Londoners' manager, Enzo Maresca, also involved in the fracas, quickly removed his players from the scene.
"At the end of the match, there was a situation that I believe was completely avoidable, on everyone's part. My objective and intention, as always, was to try to separate the players so there wouldn't be any more problems," Luis Enrique said in a press conference afterward. He faces a temporary ban—days, weeks, or months, rather than a number of matches—in which he would be unable to officiate or coach PSG.
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"There's 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. But, I repeat, my intention, as always, was to avoid any situation that escalated," Luis Enrique added. The Asturian's participation in the brawl and his intentions toward João Pedro have been condemned and described as an "unpleasant gesture" by the French press.
João Pedro touches his face and collapses after Luis Enrique's touch.
Ángel Colmenares / EFEPSG president Nasser Al Khelaïfi came to his coach's defense in the mixed zone at the New Jersey stadium. "We have the most disciplined and respected coach in the world. He went to break up the fight and got himself involved in it. Coaches deserve respect too," the Qatari executive said.
“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. It's part of the game. Now it's time to celebrate,” João Pedro, the scorer against PSG and one of the key players in Chelsea's final, told Brazilian channel Sportv .
This is a completely avoidable situation, on everyone's part. My goal and intention, as always, was to try to separate the players." Luis Enrique, PSG Coach
Beyond the final brawl, Luis Enrique maintained in a press conference that in high-level sport "there are no losers," since "a loser is someone who gives up," and here there are only "champions and runners-up." In any case, despite the dismal final performance at the Club World Cup, PSG has closed out a historic season under the Asturian, having won its first Champions League title.
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