SEATTLE: Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo has been given a five-match ban after receiving a red card for a tackle which seriously injured Canada midfielder Ismael Kone, FIFA said on Wednesday.

Qatar suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat by Canada in their second Group B game, during which Kone sustained a broken leg following a clumsy second-half tackle from Madibo.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee imposed a five-match suspension for serious foul play, a decision which is subject to appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee. Kone has undergone surgery and Madibo and Qatar’s sports minister visited him in hospital to check on his health, the Qatar Football Association said. After Qatar’s final group match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which they lost 3-1 to exit the tournament, their coach Julen Lopetegui said Madibo should not have been sent off.

“Believe me, I checked the action, it was not a red card,” he told reporters. “It was a very unfortunate situation with Kone, it was not a red card ... that’s why the referee (initially) showed a yellow card.”

Published in Dawn, June 26 , 2026