Champions League: UEFA boss Ceferin wants to give the trophy to the wrong PSG star

Award ceremony after the CL final

Curious moment: UEFA boss wants to give the trophy to the wrong PSG player

After Paris Saint-Germain’s success, it’s time to honor the defending champions. An unexpected scene occurs there.

Paris Saint-Germain has once again been named Europe’s best club team. The Champions League final in Budapest on Saturday evening was 4:3 after a penalty shootout against Arsenal FC. PSG is only the second team after Real Madrid to defend the title in the premier class. The players wanted to celebrate in a correspondingly exuberant manner. Shortly before that, however, there was a strange mistake. In the spotlight: UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.

What had happened? Before the award ceremony, long-time PSG player Presnel Kimpembe carried the trophy into the Puskás Aréna, placed the “handled pot” on a small pedestal on a specially constructed stage, and then congratulated the Paris players.

Then it was time for the awards: first the referee team led by the German Daniel Siebert was honored, then the Arsenal players began the difficult task of accepting the medal for second place.

On the other hand, the PSG team led by successful coach Luis Enrique had beaming faces as they stepped onto the podium one after the other. Čeferin hung the winner’s medal on one player after the other, while the players danced around the Champions League trophy or even kissed it.

And then the strange moment came: Čeferin was supposedly the last person to congratulate PSG star Ousmane Dembélé – and then wanted to take a few steps with him to the trophy in order to then present it to the French international.

However, Dembélé stopped the head of the association shortly before the trophy and explained to him: It is not he who accepts the trophy, but – as is generally the case with award ceremonies in football – the team captain. Defense chief Marquinhos, who has held this position at PSG for years, was still waiting behind Dembélé.

Čeferin realized his mistake at that moment, went straight back to put the medal on the Brazilian defender’s neck, and took the mix-up with humor. Then the correct process finally continued. The Slovenian ceremoniously handed the oversized trophy into Marquinhos’ hands, left the podium and left the Paris players to enjoy their triumph.