Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has urged Chelsea to impose a significant fine on one of their players following his behavior during the 1-1 draw against Arsenal.
The tightly contested Premier League match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday saw Arsenal and Chelsea battle to a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli broke the deadlock right at the 60-minute mark, but Chelsea’s recent signing, Pedro Neto, equalized just ten minutes later. ..Continue Reading
However, the main incident of the game involved a Chelsea player who was visibly upset after being subbed off early. Pundit Ferdinand believes the player deserves a hefty fine for his reaction.
Just after the hour, Chelsea winger Noni Madueke was substituted for Mykhailo Mudryk and, in a show of frustration, headed straight down the tunnel.
Ferdinand has since commented that Madueke should face a two-week fine for his response.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former United star said: “You think (Danny) Welbeck or Tom Cleverly or Nani are going to storm off the pitch and throw their dummy out?
“It’s disrespectful to your teammates as well. It’s a young team. Who are the experienced players who are going to go in there and say, ‘Woah, we don’t accept that here’.
“And I understand his thinking but at the same time, I don’t understand why you are doing that.”
After the game, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca defended Madueke, saying that no player will ever be happy to be taken off early in such a key game.
Maresca said: “The problem is when you change a player, they are never happy.”
And it is this reason that Ferdinand argues is why he could never go into management, as he would be unable to hold back his true feelings about Madueke’s actions.
Ferdinand added: “That’s where the manager comes in. I think the manager protecting him is mad. And that’s why I couldn’t be in there [as a manager] because I couldn’t come out and play the game where you say, ‘Yeah he was in the wrong but [he’s a good kid]’.
“Fined, that’s a two-week fine.”
