PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN boss Luis Enrique faces a TOTAL coaching ban for his Club World Cup Final slap attack on Chelsea star Joao Pedro.
Spaniard Enrique lost control after his side crashed 3-0 to Chelsea in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
After squaring up to the Brazilian striker, the PSG chief slapped him once to the side of the head, before players rushed in to separate the duo.
The incident sparked a major melee involving 20-plus players and staff from both sides.
Fifa is now poised to open a formal disciplinary probe into Enrique’s behaviour.
But world chiefs are UNABLE to impose a specific match sanction because PSG and Enrique will not play any games under their jurisdiction until the Champions League winners represent Europe in the InterContinental Cup in December.
And that leaves a TIME penalty – a period in which the Catalan would be prevented from doing ANY training ground or match day work – as the most likely punishment if Enrique is charged with misconduct.
But midfielder Joao Neves will probably NOT be banned for his hair-tug red card on Marc Cucarella in the final moments of the match, under tournament-specific rules published by FIFA before a ball was kicked.
The likely punishment for Enrique was predicted by senior Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez, who said: “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.
“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.”
He added: “You can’t touch an opponent’s face. 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.
“My intention, as always, was to try to separate the players so that it didn’t escalate.
“It was definitely avoidable; there was a lot of pressure. There were some problematic things coming from a lot of people. It’s not the best way to attract attention.”
