Luis Enrique and Joao Pedro were involved in an altercation after the Club World Cup final (Photo by DAZN)
Chelsea won the Club World Cup in emphatic fashion on Sunday, winning 3-0 against PSG. But there were ugly scenes post-match at the MetLife stadium involving Joao Pedro, who scored against the Ligue 1 side, and Luis Enrique.
The match itself was very fiery, especially in the second half when Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair – the Portuguese midfielder became the second player during the 2024-25 season to be dismissed for that action, after Southampton’s Jack Stephens.
Tensions boiled over after Australian referee Alireza Faghani blew the full time whistle to confirm Chelsea as world champions. DAZN cameras captured this, with a particular moment involving Pedro and Luis Enrique standing out.
Luis Enrique and Joao Pedro altercation after final whistle
The moment captured shows Pedro in a heated exchange with PSG players Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi, with Chelsea’s Andrey Santos also present. Luis Enrique enters the scene before appearing to grab the Brazilian forward by the throat, which causes him to fall to the ground, holding the affected area.
It is not clear what sparked Luis Enrique’s reaction, but it was certainly unacceptable. And he could now be at risk of a serious punishment from FIFA, who will assess all of the major flashpoints from the Club World Cup final in the coming days.
It is never nice to see their incidents take place in football, and it is especially surprising to see a manager involved. But Chelsea are unlikely to think too much about it, as they can focus on celebrating becoming world champions.
There will now be a reduced holiday period for the Chelsea first team, who will be back in action for the start of the Premier League season in a month’s time. It’s far from ideal for Maresca and his players, although they are unlikely to think about it too much now.
