Undoubtedly, one of the most shocking images of the 2026 World Cup so far was the serious injury of Ismäel Koné during the Canada - Qatar match, caused by Assim Madibo. Days after the match, which was part of the second round of the Group B that ended 6-0 in favor of the hosts, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee decided to suspend him for five matches as it considered he committed an infraction classified as "serious foul play".
The incident occurred at minute 50 of the match. In a ball dispute, Madibo arrived late and struck Koné's left leg hard, who immediately fell to the ground in evident pain. Although initially, the referee had sanctioned the action with a yellow card, after reviewing the play in VAR, he changed his decision and expelled the Qatari player with a direct red card.
The consequences for Koné were much more severe. The Canadian midfielder left the field on a stretcher, in a scene that caused shock both in the stadium and among the players of the match, and it was later confirmed that he suffered a fracture of the tibia and fibula, an injury that required a surgical intervention and ended his participation in the World Cup.
