Al-Khelaifi defends Luis Enrique: "We have the most disciplined coach"

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president Nasser Al-Khelaifi on Sunday defended his coach Luis Enrique after he was involved in a scuffle at the end of the Club World Cup final, which they lost 3-0 to Chelsea, with Brazilian striker Joao Pedro.

After the final whistle of a match that heated up in stoppage time with several hard tackles, a scuffle broke out in the middle of the pitch, involving Luis Enrique. The Spanish coach went to an area where Achraf Hakimi and Gianluigi Donnarumma were arguing with Joao Pedro, who fell to the turf after feeling a knock.

Luis Enrique struck the Brazilian with his left arm and hitting first the chest and then the player's face. The incident sparked several minutes of arguments between the two teams before the situation calmed down.

"We have the most disciplined and respected coach in the world," Al-Khelaifi said in the mixed zone at MetLife Stadium, in an unusual gesture from the officials, as it is a space reserved mainly for the players after the match.

He added: "He went to break up the fight and got caught up in it. Coaches also deserve respect. The same version was used by Luis Enrique himself after the match, claiming that his intention was to "separate the players" and prevent the brawl from escalating.

"At the end of the match there was a situation that I think was totally avoidable, on everyone's part. My objective and my intention, as always, was to try to separate the players so that there would be no more problems," the Asturian coach told a press conference.