Jul 13, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca and Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique react with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma (1) after the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images

PSG manager grabs Chelsea player by throat at end of Club World Cup final

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 5:58 PM ET

The end of Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup final was marred by a heated incident involving Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique.

English club Chelsea was victorious during Sunday’s final against French giant PSG at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Chelsea won 3-0 in a major upset over PSG, a powerhouse club that just won the UEFA Champions League (the annual competition of all the top clubs in Europe) in May. As a result, the Blue claimed their second-ever Club World Cup trophy as well as their second trophy in the span of the last two months (after winning the UEFA Conference League title in May).

While Chelsea was celebrating their triumph after the final whistle, players from both teams began exchanging words. At one point, Chelsea forward Joao Pedro, who scored in the 43rd minute for his club’s third goal of the contest, got into it with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and right-back Achraf Hakimi.

That led to PSG manager Luis Enrique coming in and grabbing Pedro by the throat. Pedro ended up falling to the ground as a result of the combined contact from Enrique and Donnarumma.

LUIS ENRIQUE AND JOAO PEDRO.pic.twitter.com/Tf6vVeoh4A
— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) July 13, 2025

The incident was a culmination of a heated 90 minutes on Sunday that saw multiple yellow cards and even a red card in the 85th minute for PSG’s Joao Neves. The midfielder was sent off for pulling on the hair of Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella.

PSG’s Joao Neves is shown a red card for pulling the hair of Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella during the Club World Cup final. pic.twitter.com/XUSElSIspa
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 13, 2025

Enrique also has some history with Chelsea. He was a candidate for their manager job in 2023 but was passed on in favor of Mauricio Pochettino (who was later replaced by current manager Enzo Maresca). Enrique, who then took the PSG job later that year, deserves a whole lot of credit for leading the French club to the treble this year (league title, domestic cup title, and Champions League title). But for that ugly incident with Pedro at full-time on Sunday, Enrique could be facing a fine or maybe even a suspension to begin the 2025-26 season.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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