Jesse Marsch defends team response to Qatar post-match altercation
Canada's coach addressed a shoving match between the teams after the final whistle and Assim Madibo's controversial red card.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Jesse Marsch acknowledged the post-match tensions between Canada and Qatar but deflected questions about the on-field brouhaha, calling it unworthy of discussion.
Broadcast cameras caught the two sides in what appeared to be a shoving match involving players and staff after the final whistle Thursday. Marsch was pressed on whether the physical escalation reflected Qatar's frustration over the lopsided score.
"Until the injury, I actually think that the match was pretty good," Marsch said, suggesting the contest itself was fair before Koné went down.
What did draw Marsch's criticism was the Qatari bench's reaction to Assim Madibo's red card for the tackle that broke Koné's leg. "I don't understand a reaction from their entire bench to try to start a fight about it being a red card when a clear foul just happened that broke a player's leg," Marsch said. "So strange behaviour, but in the end, we were more focused on Ismaël and the match."
Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustáquio put it more bluntly: "They broke his leg and they were pushing for a yellow."
Marsch was more sympathetic to Madibo himself, saying the Qatari player visited Koné in the locker room afterward. "I don't think that he meant such a gruesome tackle or gruesome situation. So I don't fault him for that," the coach said.
Looking ahead, Marsch stressed the World Cup was about more than results. "When I came here, the vision was more than just this World Cup," he said. "It was to change the sport."