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Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has been warned he could be staring down the barrel of a month-long suspension following his involvement in a fracas with Chelsea players, which saw Joao Pedro knocked to the turf.
The incident occurred after PSG's 3-0 loss to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final held in New Jersey on Sunday, a match that also witnessed Joao Neves receiving a red card for yanking Marc Cucurella's hair, culminating in a heated exchange at the end of the game. Enrique was seen entering the fray and pushing Pedro in the midst of the commotion.
In his defence, Enrique explained: "At the end of the match, there is a lot of tension. There was a situation that I believe could have been avoided by everyone. I think that is logical.
"I am going to prevent my players from going any further in that brawl and from then on there is pushing and shoving by everyone.
"I think and I repeat, that is not the best thing to do. It's the result of the tension, the result of the situation of the match and I have nothing more to add," reports the Mirror.
Back in Spain, Enrique's conduct made headlines, prompting former La Liga referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez to speak on Cadena SER about the potential repercussions from FIFA for the ex-Barcelona coach's actions.
"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," Gonzalez cautioned.
"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."
Gonzalez didn't hold back in his critique of Enrique's conduct, stating firmly: "You can't touch an opponent's face.
"I mean, that's already a humiliating issue, that you have to go over and punch a player in the face when the game is over. I don't look at names, I look at the action, and if we look at the action, it's punishable."
Gonzalez also highlighted the overarching authority of FIFA, reminding everyone: "We need to be aware because FIFA is above UEFA. If FIFA tells you there are three matches it's in their competition, but since in this tournament the yellow and red cards end today, FIFA can, on the other hand, sanction players based on time."
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