The final moments of the Chelsea vs. PSG match at the Club World Cup were marred by a troubling incident involving PSG manager Luis Enrique and Chelsea forward João Pedro. The Spanish coach ended up physically assaulting the Portuguese player immediately after the final whistle.
According to the tournament’s official regulations, disciplinary sanctions imposed during the Club World Cup do not carry over to other competitions.
The official rule states: “In accordance with Article 74 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, any suspension resulting from a red card issued to a player or coach (either direct or indirect) will not be applied to another competition.”
However, what happens next to the PSG coach remains to be seen. The key will be the match coordinator’s report submitted to FIFA. As confirmed to Mundo Deportivo, if FIFA chooses to apply its Disciplinary Code, Luis Enrique could face a suspension of at least three matches.
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This is outlined in Article 2 of the second chapter of violations, which explicitly states that a minimum three-match ban (or a longer suspension depending on severity) applies for “assaulting (including elbowing, punching, kicking, biting, spitting, or hitting) an opponent or any other person who is not a match official.” In other words, someone other than the referee.
Now, all eyes will be on whether FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee decides to open a formal investigation and ultimately issue a suspension for the PSG manager.
