ATLANTA (AP) — Qatar player Assim Madibo was given a five-match ban on Wednesday for the tackle that broke the leg of Canada midfielder Ismaël Koné at the World Cup.
Madibo was issued a straight red card for the incident during Canada's 6-0 victory over Qatar in Vancouver last Thursday.
The FIFA disciplinary committee said the suspension was for serious foul play and that the decision was subject to appeal.
Canada’s first World Cup victory was overshadowed by the injury to Koné, who was taken off on a stretcher and later underwent surgery on broken tibia and fibula in his left leg.
He was tackled from behind in the 51st minute and players around him immediately feared he had sustained a serious injury as he lay on the ground, holding his leg and covering his mouth with his hand.
Madibo was also visibly upset and apologized in person to Koné after the game.
“You can’t even imagine how grateful I am to everyone who reached out and that has me in their prayers,” Koné later posted on Instagram.
The Qatar national team did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.
The ban is not the biggest issued by FIFA at a World Cup. Uruguay striker Luis Suarez was given a nine-match suspension and banned from all soccer-related activity for four months for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
In 1994, Italy defender Mauro Tassotti was suspended for eight games for an elbow on Spain forward Luis Enrique.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Learn how to make some of Jettywave Distillery’s most popular drinks as well as some classics. Read moreMixology 101: Cocktail Crafting
These days, life can feel like it has been turned upside-down. What was relied upon as norma… Read moreInspirational Talk - “A Spiritual Revolution: The Quest to Experience God”
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.