Tensions boiled over between PSG and Chelsea players after the full-time in the Club World Cup 2025 final at the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. A video of the same surfaced on social media as Joao Pedro fell after PSG manager Luis Enrique shoved him amid confrontation between Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and Andrey Santos.
Chelsea stunned an in-form PSG side in the final to lift the title as US President Donald Trump was present for the occasion to hand over the trophy. Cole Palmer netted two goals in the 22nd and 30th minute, while Pedro did so in the 43rd minute to script a 3-0 victory for their side.
Watch the below video:
Speaking after the match, Pedro explained the incident saying that he only went to protect his teammate after seeing a confrontation taking place. He told Sportv the below:
"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. They didn’t know how to lose, but that’s football."
"My intention was to avoid things getting worse" - Luis Enrique
At the post-game presser, the PSG manager said the situation was completely avoidable and that shoving players on the field should never happen. He said, as quoted by The Hindustan Times:
"At the end of the match there was a situation that I think was totally avoidable, for everyone involved. My objective and intention, like always, was to separate the players to avoid further problems. There was a lot of tension, a lot of passion. There was shoving going on and I think we should avoid that and it should never happen again. But I repeat: my intention was to avoid things getting worse."
