FIFA rule broken in Club World Cup final before huge scrap after Chelsea win
The FIFA Club World Cup final has been slammed for various incidents that took place during Chelsea's win over Paris Saint-Germain, including breaking the half-time duration rule. The last match of the summer tournament featured fireworks, flyovers and even an appearance from President Donald Trump himself.
The Blues surprisingly ran out as comfortable winners over Champions League holders PSG, with Cole Palmer netting a brace and Joao Pedro adding to the tally to put them 3-0 up before the break. Luis Enrique's men failed to showcase their best football at MetLife Stadium, as Enzo Maresca watched his side deliver silverware.
After Chelsea finished the first half with a three-goal lead, fans were treated to a half-time show akin to the Super Bowl. Pop stars including J Balvin, Tems, Doja Cat, Emmanuel Kelly and Coldplay all took to the stage to entertain the crowd, but this was not as well received as some would have assumed.
In fact, the half-time performance broke an important FIFA rule. The seventh statute in the Laws of the Game dictates that the midway interval in a football match should not exceed 15 minutes, and only the referee has the power to change this.
The half-time break, in fact, lasted a whopping 24 minutes instead of the typical 15. The game itself also kicked off later than scheduled, at 8:08pm UK time instead of the planned 8pm start time.
Viewers responded to the Club World Cup's blunders on social media, with many dubbing the tournament a "joke." One said: "Expect more of the same in the upcoming World Cup next year as FIFA allows it to be turned into the Super bowl, with the football being incidental to the corporate crap and promotion of Trump and various 'personalities.'"
Another dubbed it a: "Vanity project," while a third said: "Everything about that tournament is a joke."
This wasn't the only incident that caught the attention of spectators, as a fight even broke out between the two sets of players after the full-time whistle. As Maresca's side began to celebrate their win, a scrap suddenly ensued, with PSG boss Enrique incredibly getting involved in the action.
The Spaniard appeared to lash out on the pitch, catching Chelsea goalscorer Pedro in the face and leaving him reeling on the floor. Enrique was pulled away from the altercation by his fellow coaches, with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also confronting some Blues players in the wake of their victory.
The fight appeared to begin with PSG right-back Achraf Hakimi, as he looked to take issue with Pedro and Andrey Santos. The verbal argument then took a drastic turn, with players from both sides taking it in turns to push and pull each other away from the exchange, as Pedro lay on the floor following Enrique's shove to the face.
Despite the ugly scenes at full time, Maresca and his Chelsea stars will be delighted to take the Club World Cup trophy back to Stamford Bridge, adding to their Conference League title won at the end of May.
Speaking post-match, Blues boss Maresca said: "I have no words for the players. They all deserve this and it's a good moment. For me, we won the game in the first 10 minutes. We set the tempo and we were very good at pressing them. Unfortunately with the weather conditions, it is not easy to continue for 90 minutes, but I think we won the game in the first 10 minutes."
Following Chelsea's dominant victory that was on show for all to see, President Trump admitted an "upset" between PSG and the Blues had taken place that day. After handing over the trophy to the winning team, he said: "This is a bit of an upset we've watched today."
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