Lopetegui says Madibo had no intent after Qatar’s heavy Canada defeat

Julen Lopetegui defended Assim Madibo after a Canada player’s serious injury and said Qatar must recover quickly from a 6-0 World Cup loss.

Julen Lopetegui said Qatar must regroup quickly after a 6-0 defeat to Canada in the 2026 World Cup, while defending midfielder Assim Madibo over the challenge that led to a serious injury for Canada’s Ismael Kone and Qatar’s second red card.

The Qatar coach said the injury was deeply upsetting and wished Kone a full recovery, but insisted Madibo had not meant to hurt him. “I’m sure Assim Madibo had no intention of injuring the opposing player,” Lopetegui said, describing the incident as a painful accident within the game.

The defeat left Qatar facing a difficult response, both because of the scoreline and because Lopetegui said the match turned sharply after his team went down to 10 men. Hamam Al-Amin was sent off in the 33rd minute after Canada’s second goal, a moment Lopetegui said changed the conditions of a game Qatar had begun with some promise.

He said Qatar had created chances before the red card and had been following its match plan, but that playing short-handed against Canada’s pace and attacking quality made the task far harder. The situation worsened in the 53rd minute when Madibo was also dismissed, forcing Qatar to play more than 40 minutes with nine men.

Lopetegui pointed to Canada’s attacking options, including Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan, as part of the challenge his side faced after the dismissals. Even so, he said Qatar’s players continued to work through heavy physical and mental pressure until the end.

The coach declined to discuss his postmatch conversation with Canada manager Jesse Marsch, calling it a private matter between the two coaches. He also avoided a detailed critique of the officiating, saying he did not want to spend energy on decisions outside Qatar’s control.

Instead, Lopetegui framed the priority as recovery before Qatar’s final group match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24. He called that game a “final” for his team and acknowledged that the suspensions of Al-Amin and Madibo will force Qatar to find new solutions.

Lopetegui also thanked the Qatar supporters who traveled to back the team and said he understood their frustration after such a lopsided result. He urged calm, saying Qatar’s presence at the World Cup remained significant and that the team’s focus now is to show a stronger response against Bosnia and Herzegovina.