Izuchukwu Okosi
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi could be sanctioned by the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) for disciplinary issues in the aftermath of PSG’s defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 stages.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelReports monitored on the PSG owner’s indiscretion indicate that he may get a 28-month jail term.
Al-khelaifi in the company of Sporting Director Leonadro stormed into the referee’s room in protest over the buildup to one of Real Madrid’s goal in last Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat that eliminated the Paris club from the competition.
The PSG boss eventually broke an ‘equipment ball’ and even threatened to “kill” a Real Madrid official according to leading European sports publications.
Madrid overturned a two-goal deficit in the last-16 second leg, with Karim Benzema’s second-half hat-trick sealing a 3-2 aggregate victory for Madrid.
It was the first of Benzema’s three goals which enraged PSG, who felt Benzema should have been called for a foul on goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the build-up.
There was also Al-Khelaifi’s outburst which was documented in the referee’s report that also stated that PSG director of football Leonardo was alongside him.
Al-Khelaifi and Leonardo “behaved aggressively and tried to enter the referee’s dressing room,” according to the report.
“When the referee asked them to leave, the president hit a piece of the assistant’s equipment, breaking it.”
A report in the ESPN states that a source says they had “never seen club executives behave like that.”
Spanish publication Marca stated that Al-Khelaifi’s behavior was recorded by a Real Madrid employee — possibly club delegate Mejia Davila, whose office Al-Khelaifi initially, mistakenly entered first — who will likely send the footage to UEFA to study for a possible punishment.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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