Awkward trophy ceremony sees US president hover around team following 3-0 win over PSG in New York
Chelsea were crowned Club World Cup champions on Sunday after a dominant 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in a final that blended footballing excellence with political theatre at MetLife Stadium in New York.
Cole Palmer struck twice and set up another in a scintillating first half that left PSG reeling. Yet it was the post-match scenes that ensured the night would live long in the memory.
As Chelsea captain Reece James stepped up to the podium to collect the trophy, US President Donald Trump joined the squad on stage alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino. Trump, who had been met with a mixture of cheers and boos from the 81,000-strong crowd, handed over the trophy before awkwardly lingering next to James as the celebrations kicked off.
“They told me he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage,” said James. “I thought he was going to leave, but he wanted to stay.”
Palmer, who was named the tournament’s best player and awarded the Golden Ball, admitted he had not expected Trump to remain on the podium.
“I knew he was going to be here, but not that he’d be standing next to us when we lifted it,” said the midfielder. “I was a bit confused, to be honest.”
Chelsea’s triumph marked the culmination of Fifa’s newly expanded 32-team Club World Cup. In addition to the silverware, the Blues pocketed more than £90 million in prize money – a significant boost for the London club’s coffers.
“This is a proud moment for the club,” said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. “The lads were immense tonight, especially in the first half. Palmer was unbelievable.”
Trump, interviewed at half time by DAZN, called the event “tremendous” and praised the “energy” of the crowd. He was also asked if he could see a day when the USA, which will co-host the men’s World Cup along with Canada and Mexico next summer, could dominate in football, and he replied: “I can tell you we’re doing very well on the other stage, on the political stage, on the final stage.
“We were doing very badly as a country. We had an incompetent administration and now we have a hot country. It’s really hot and I think the soccer is going to be very hot here too.”
He even joked that he could sign an executive order to rename the sport from “soccer” to “football”.
“I think we could do that,” he said with a smile.
But the night wasn’t without its flashpoints. Tempers boiled over in the closing stages and spilled into post-match tensions between players and coaching staff. A scuffle erupted after full-time involving PSG coach Luis Enrique and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who appeared to shove Chelsea forward Joao Pedro following a heated exchange.
“There is a lot of tension, a lot of pressure,” said Enrique. “I tried to separate the players and avoid something worse.”
Joao Pedro, who was pushed to the ground during the altercation, said he had stepped in to defend teammate Andrey Santos. “They surrounded him, and like a good Brazilian, I went to protect a friend. They just don’t know how to lose.”
Maresca said he wasn’t aware of how the fracas started.
“I saw that something was going on, but I don’t know what happened,” he said.
The match itself was largely one-sided. Palmer opened the scoring early before doubling Chelsea’s lead with a smart finish. His assist for Joao Pedro capped off a first half that left PSG stunned and eventually saw Joao Neves sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella to the ground by his hair.
Despite a flurry of yellow cards and late PSG frustration, the result never looked in doubt. For Chelsea, it was a statement performance – and one that ended with their name on the trophy and the president of the United States inadvertently part of the photo.
