PSG boss Luis Enrique has explained why he slapped Joao Pedro after Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph.
A mass brawl broke out following the 3-0 win, which also included clashes between goalscorers Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, and PSG’s Fabian Ruiz.
Luis Enrique slapped Joao Pedro after the final whistle[/caption]
The PSG boss has explained his actions[/caption]
A huge brawl broke out after full-time[/caption]
Pedro hit the deck after the slap[/caption]
Both managers got involved in the melee[/caption]
Tempers flared and reached boiling point at the final whistle, with players pushing and shoving.
Both managers got involved after Achraf Hakimi, Andrey Santos and Christopher Nkunku were caught up in the melee.
Pedro confronted boss Enrique who reacted furiously, appearing to slap the Brazilian.
PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma followed up with a push and Pedro fell to the ground.
Enrique has since claimed he was trying to defuse the situation, with his opposite number Enzo Maresca actually ushering his players away.
The PSG boss explained his actions, saying: “At the end of the game there is a situation that I believe is totally avoidable by everyone.
“My goal and intention, as always, is to try to separate the players so that there are no more problems. Avoidable situation.
“There is a lot of tension, a lot, a lot of pressure and from there, there is a series of pushes by many people that I think we should all avoid and that should not happen again.
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“But I repeat, my intention as always, to avoid any situation that goes further.”
The incident came after PSG midfielder Joao Neves lost his cool and pulled Marc Cucurella’s hair, resulting in a red card in the 85th minute.
