Fluminense’s Felipe Melo was in the spotlight during the FIFA Club World Cup final, but for all the wrong reasons, as the Brazilian was seen having a physical altercation with Manchester City players Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker. The heated scuffle between them happened right after the final whistle when City started celebrating their win.
However, Felipe Melo has come out to shift the blame on Grealish, claiming that it was the England international who put fuel to the fire, which resulted in them having a scuffle. Manchester City defeated Fluminense 4-0 in a one-sided but very heated and aggressive game, crowning City the Club World Cup Champions.
Kyle Walker and Felipe Melo in heated altercation
Felipe Melo has always been a very aggressive and hot-headed player, keeping him in the top ten list of players with the most red cards. Again, his emotions got the better of him in the final, and he was later involved in a heated brawl with the City players.
The scuffle started as soon as the final whistle was blown, and the City players started celebrating when Felipe Melo and Walker collided. Walker had to be pulled back by his teammates and the backroom staff after being shoved by Melo in order to keep the heat from escalating beyond the line. The duo was also seen being involved in aggressive plays and verbal altercations throughout the game.
Fluminense’s frustrations had been building over the second half of the match, primarily owing to Man City’s dominance on the field, which also led to a reckless tackle on Rodri, which resulted in him limping off the pitch.
Felipe Melo blames Jack Grealish for scuffle against Kyle Walker
However, Felipe Melo has subsequently claimed that his altercation with Walker erupted because he was protecting his teammate Matheus Martinelli from Jack Grealish. The 40-year-old veteran said that Grealish’s ridiculing of Fluminense during the end of the match was offensive to them.
Melo later came out to say that, “Grealish was disrespectful towards the Fluminense institution and I will never let that happen. He was shouting ‘olé’ at the end of the game. This is for the fans, the fans can shout olé’.”
He further added that he didn’t start any confusion and contrastingly said, “I went to defend Martinelli, who was being cornered by this athlete. And I would do it again. I am a warrior.”
However, Jack Grealish has denied instigating any fight and has taken to X to write, “Not once did I say ‘ole’.”
Do you think players deserve suspensions for these kinds of behaviors, even beyond playing time? Let us know what you think can prevent such brawls.
