PSG boss Luis Enrique has explained what happened after he sparked a brawl by grabbing Chelsea’s Joao Pedro at the end of the Club World Cup final.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Blues were in celebratory mood after seeing a brace from Cole Palmer and another effort from new signing Pedro carry them to a stunning 3-0 victory over the 2025 Champions League winners at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Paris Saint-Germain were understandably less buoyant after missing out on another major trophy, with tensions threatening to boil over at the final whistle. There were ugly scenes of confrontation as players and backroom staff members from both teams clashed on the field.
Luis Enrique was very much part of that scuffle, with the passionate Spanish tactician tangling with Brazilian forward Pedro. PSG’s head coach pushed the Chelsea man before grabbing at his throat, leading to the South American hitting the turf.
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WHAT ENRIQUE SAID
Enrique claimed afterwards that he was trying to diffuse a volatile situation, not make it worse. He told reporters: “I have no problem expressing my feeling at the end of the game in a high level of pressure. It's very stressful for all of us. It is going to be impossible to avoid that. Everybody was involved. It was not what was best and the end result of the pressure of the match.
“I have seen [Chelsea coach Enzo] Maresca. I saw he had pushed others and we had to separate all the players and I do not know where that pressure came from. But this is a situation we must all avoid. That goes without saying. My intention is that I wanted to separate the footballers, so the situation didn't become worse.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Former Barcelona manager Enrique added on seeing his side suffer a shock defeat to Premier League heavyweights: “We are not losers, there are no losers. We are the runners-up. A loser is somebody who gives up. In this high level of sport there are no losers whatsoever.”
Enzo Maresca Luis Enrique Chelsea PSG 2025 FIFA Club World CupGetty
WHAT NEXT?
With gruelling 2024-25 campaigns finally over for Chelsea and PSG, both sides will enjoy short summer breaks before attention turns to next season and the pursuit of more major silverware.