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Qatar football player Assim Madibo has been handed a hefty penalty after his reckless tackle that broke the leg of Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone during a FIFA World Cup 2026 match. The incident happened last week in Vancouver, where Canada celebrated a massive 6-0 victory over Qatar. However, the historic win was completely overshadowed by Kone’s severe injury. In the 51st minute of the game, Madibo tackled Kone from behind. Nearby players immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Kone fell to the ground in agony, holding his leg and covering his mouth in pain.
Medical staff rushed to the pitch, and Kone had to be carried off on a stretcher. He was taken straight to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for a broken tibia and fibula (the two main bones in the lower leg).
Madibo was shown a straight red card and sent off the field immediately. Following the match, the Qatar player was visibly upset by what had happened and went to apologise to Kone in person.
The FIFA disciplinary committee reviewed the incident and announced the five-match suspension on Wednesday, citing “serious foul play.” While Qatar has the right to appeal the decision, the team did not immediately comment on the situation when contacted by reporters. Such injuries take a lot of time to heal, meaning Kone is likely to be out for several months.
Meanwhile, Kone shared an emotional message with his fans on Instagram, writing: “You can’t even imagine how grateful I am to everyone who reached out and that has me in their prayers.”
Es una verguenza que sancionen a Madibo con cinco partidos.
Debe juzgarse la accion, no la desafortunada lesion que sufrio Kone.
Es una medida muy grave; se estan pasando el reglamento por el forro. pic.twitter.com/D0plMD5q0B https://t.co/lCbDTfBkMe
— Diego Cobo (@DiiegoCobo) June 24, 2026
While a five-match ban is severe, it is not the harshest penalty FIFA has ever handed out at a World Cup tournament.
In 2014, Luis Suarez received a massive nine-match international ban and was barred from all football-related activities for four months after biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup in Brazil. In 1994, Italian defender Mauro Tassotti was suspended for eight games after fracturing the nose of Spain’s Luis Enrique with a vicious elbow.
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