Luis Enrique Admits "I'm Stupid" After Heated Joao Pedro Confrontation as Chelsea Stars Rally Behind Coach
PSG head coach Luis Enrique has claimed that Chelsea striker João Pedro dramatized their confrontation following Sunday's Club World Cup final.
The Blues delivered a spectacular 3-0 triumph against the defending European titleholders, with Cole Palmer netting a brace and providing an assist for Pedro's goal during a commanding opening period, securing their status as the inaugural champions of the revamped Club World Cup.
The atmosphere grew heated in the closing stages when João Neves received a direct red card for grabbing Marc Cucurella's hair, and matters intensified after the match concluded with a pitch-side altercation involving personnel from both teams. Enrique participated in the melee and seemed to make contact with Pedro's face, causing the Chelsea attacker to fall to the turf.
"I'm an idiot," Enrique was recorded saying to his coaching staff (via SPORT). "[Pedro] is positioned there, he shoves me, I make contact with him and he goes down theatrically."
During his post-game media briefing, Enrique maintained he was merely attempting to restore order.
"The incident that occurred after the final whistle was something that could have been prevented by everyone," Enrique stated. "I attempted to intervene between the players; there was hostility. We all should have stopped the situation from getting worse. I have no issue being vocal about it.
"Following the match, there was significant hostility. Everyone was pushing and shoving players, stemming from the tension. I witnessed [Enzo] Maresca pushing players, and people pushed him back. These are circumstances we should all prevent. My action was to separate the players."
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi commented: "We possess the most well-behaved and respectful manager globally. He went to break up the situation and was pushed. You must show respect for your coaches as well."
From the opposite perspective of the confrontation, goal scorer Pedro maintained that PSG allowed their anger to overflow because they "couldn't handle defeat".
"I went to defend Andrey [Santos]," Pedro informed Sportv. "I noticed the players crowding around him. Like any good Brazilian, I went to support a teammate.
"Many people were approaching, and in that chaos, I ended up being pushed. It's expected. They couldn't handle defeat, in my opinion. It's part of the game. Now it's time to enjoy our victory."
Santos, who triggered the initial confrontation, dismissed the incident when interviewed by CazeTV.
"Jota [João Pedro] and the team showed up. What's important is that we became champions," he stated.