The Club World Cup took place a few months ago, but it still provides stories to tell. In the tournament, which is held every four years and brought together 32 teams from around the world, Inter Miami and Al-Ahly played the opening match on Sunday, June 15, but an altercation between Lionel Messi and Yasser Ibrahim stole the show.
Now, almost nine months after that first match, the Al-Ahly defender revealed what led him to confront the opposing team’s captain.
Ibrahim breaks his silence
The match ended 0-0, but it gave people something to talk about, both for the scoring opportunities and for the moments of tension, such as the one between Leo and Yasser.
It all happened during an Al-Ahly corner kick that was dangerous for Inter Miami. The two argued inside the box, and the verbal exchange quickly turned physical when the Argentine captain lowered his head and pushed against him, although he failed to make contact with the defender, who also gestured toward Leo.
The referee did not notice this altercation, so the game continued as normal and without the players receiving a yellow card, but the fans did, and the moment went viral. Now, some time later, Yasser participated in a satirical comedy show (according to Onefootball) and explained what happened to cause both players to react in this way.
According to Al Alhy’s #6, he expected his opponents to stop play so that one of his teammates, Marwan Attia, could receive medical attention after a muscle problem. However, Inter Miami continued playing, provoking Yasser’s anger and discontent and the subsequent confrontation with Javier Mascherano’s team captain. In addition, the defender admitted that he regretted this and that he had done it to provoke Lionel.
The incident was not the only controversial moment of the match, as six minutes later, referee Faghani awarded a penalty to Ibrahim’s team for an alleged foul by Telasco Segovia on Ahmed Sayed Zizo. This decision also generated controversy, as many considered that the action did not warrant the maximum penalty. Despite this, goalkeeper Oscar Ustari managed to save the shot.
Meanwhile, Al Alhy failed to advance past the group stage and was eliminated early, while Inter Miami managed to advance to the round of 16 but fell 4-0 to Leo’s former team, PSG, and was eliminated.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami’s next match will be against Nashville SC in the round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup at Geodis Park.
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