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A Club World Cup captain refused to shake the hands of opposition players during his side's opening match at the Club World Cup.
The competition has drawn widespread criticism so far, with FIFA struggling to fill stadiums in the United States and players playing weeks after some of their domestic seasons had come to a close.
On Tuesday, Argentine side River Plate got their campaign up and running when they beat Urawa Reds of Japan 3-1, with Facundo Solidio, Sebastian Driussi and Maximiliano Meza all on the scoresheet.
There was, however, a curious moment before kick off when the captain of Urawa Reds, Marius Hoibraten, refused to shake hands with his opponents.
After the players were announced and had entered the pitch at the Lumen Field in Seattle, Hoibraten bizarrely walked past his opponents, seemingly opting not to shake their hands.
River Plate players looked on bemused, as the rest of the Urawa players followed and did shake their opponents' hands. Hoibraten has now offered a reasoning for why - and it's that he didn't realise he was supposed to.
Urawa Reds captain Marius Hoibraten refused to shake his opponents' hands in his side's first Club World Cup game
He left River Plate players bemused as he walked past them before the rest of his team engaged in handshakes
The defender took to social media after the game to explain why he didn't shake hands
Taking to social media, the 30-year-old defender posted: 'To the River Plate fans. I forgot to shake hands because the setup was new. I was confused and in my element, and I didn't understand what we were supposed to do. That's why I walked away without shaking hands.
'It seems like I don't care about you or the players. This was never my intention. I apologised to the players in the locker room after the game, and now I apologise to you. Congratulations on the win! All the best in the upcoming games.'
After the two teams lined up, Hoibraten shook hands with the officials before walking past the River Plate players. Some looked on curiously, while others saw the funny side of things.
Hoibraten can play at centre back or left back and lined up in the middle of defence on this occasion.
He joined his current side in 2023, having previously played for the likes of Bodo/Glimt and Lillestrom. He is also a former Norway Under-21 international.
FIFA, meanwhile, have been hit with further embarrassment over attendances at their revamped Club World Cup after fewer than 600 fans showed up for a match at a 25,500-seater venue in Orlando on Tuesday.
The expanded and relaunched tournament had been plagued by concerns over interest and ticket sales in the build-up to its opening match between Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Al-Ahly on Sunday - despite massive investment from the governing body as it seeks to make the Club World Cup the premier international tournament.
Chelsea's first game against Los Angeles FC, played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday was more than three-quarters empty with just 22,000 fans inside the 75,000-capacity venue.
The 30-year-old can play at either centre back or left back and lined up centrally on Tuesday
His side feel to a 3-1 defeat as River Plate got their campaign successfully up and running
The competition continues to draw criticism amid its poor attendances in the United States
General admission tickets were on sale for £38 but such was the lack of interest that the entire top tier of the stadium was closed.
As a result, ticket prices are being slashed across the competition, with local college students able to pick up a seat at the tournament opener for as little as $20.
But few of the FIFA hierarchy will have predicted as disappointing a turnout as at the Inter & Co Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
Journalist Maher Mezahi reported on social media that ahead of kick-off between South Korean side Ulsan and South African outfit Mamelodi Sundowns, there were just 97 people inside the 25,500 capacity venue.
