Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has responded to the post-match chaos that followed Sunday’s Club World Cup final, accusing Chelsea forward João Pedro of exaggerating their clash.
The match, which ended in a resounding 3–0 victory for Chelsea, was marred by a dramatic on-field brawl involving players and staff from both sides.
Chelsea produced a dominant first-half display, with Cole Palmer netting twice and assisting Pedro for the third goal. The win secured the Blues’ place in history as the first champions of the new-format Club World Cup. However, tempers flared late in the game after João Neves received a straight red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair, leading to heightened tensions and a full-blown scuffle after the final whistle.
Enrique appeared to be at the center of the post-match melee, seen on camera making contact with Pedro’s face, causing the Chelsea player to fall. The PSG manager was later caught telling his staff, “I’m stupid. [Pedro]’s standing there, he pushes me, I touch him and he throws himself,” as reported by SPORT.
During his post-match press conference, Enrique maintained that he had no aggressive intentions and was merely trying to de-escalate the situation. “What happened at the end of the match was a situation that everyone could have avoided,” he said. “I tried to separate the players; there was tension. We should have all prevented the situation from escalating. I have no problem speaking up.”
Enrique continued, “After the match, there was a lot of tension. Everyone pushed and shoved players, a result of the tension. I saw [Enzo] Maresca push players, and people pushed him. These are situations we should all avoid. What I did was separate the players.”
Backing his manager, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said, “We have the most disciplined and respectful coach in the world. He went to separate the ball and got pushed. You have to have respect for your coaches, too.”
João Pedro, who scored Chelsea’s third goal, offered a different perspective, claiming PSG lost their composure after being outplayed. “I went to protect Andrey [Santos],” he told Sportv. “I saw the players surrounding him. Like a good Brazilian, I went to protect a friend. A lot of people were arriving, and in that mess, I ended up getting shoved. It’s part of it. They didn’t know how to lose, I believe. It’s part of it. Now it’s time to celebrate.”
