Luis Enrique Breaks Silence on Alleged Slap Incident: "I Tried to Defuse the Situation"

In the aftermath of Chelsea's victorious Club World Cup match, a massive brawl erupted, involving players from both teams. The incident, which included clashes between goalscorers Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, and PSG's Fabian Ruiz, caused tempers to flare and tension to reach boiling point.

Footage shows PSG boss Luis Enrique engaging with Joao Pedro after the final whistle, with the former appearing to slap the Brazilian. The incident escalated as PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma followed up with a push, causing Pedro to fall to the ground.

Enrique has since addressed the incident, stating, "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. It's an avoidable situation. There is a lot of tension, 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."

The Football Association (FIFA) is currently considering disciplinary action against Enrique, with senior Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez predicting potential consequences: "Of course, you can be sanctioned. There's a difference, the red and yellow cards in the tournament will expire. But FIFA can sanction him with time. So, if Luis Enrique is given a one-month ban, he would miss any games in that month. What's more, he wouldn't even be able to train the team."

The time-based penalty was previously imposed on former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup. FIFA has yet to confirm whether disciplinary procedures have been initiated against Enrique or any other parties involved.

Meanwhile, Joao Pedro has spoken out about the incident, stating, "I went to protect Andrey. I saw their players were crowding Andrey. Like a good Brazilian, I went to protect my friend. A lot of people were arriving and in that mess, I ended up getting shoved. It's part of it."

Despite the altercation, celebrations were in high spirits post-match, with US President Donald Trump somehow joining in on the trophy lift. Players were joined on the pitch by their partners and several Chelsea stars posed for photos with the trophy and their medals.