Chelsea winger, Noni Madueke, has responded to criticism from former defender and current pundit, Rio Ferdinand. The incident in question occurred during the recent 1-1 draw against Arsenal when Madueke was substituted and walked straight down the tunnel.

Madueke's reaction after being substituted in the second half of the match at Stamford Bridge sparked controversy. Cameras caught him walking directly down the tunnel after being replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk. This action was deemed 'disrespectful' by Ferdinand who took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) suggesting that such behavior warranted a ‘two-week fine.’

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Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand, said:

“It’s disrespectful to your team-mates. I think the manager protecting him is mad, that’s a two-week fine!”

Madueke's explanation

However, Madueke has since explained his actions stating that it’s a regular occurrence when he’s taken off the pitch. His explanation suggests that his actions were not out of disrespect but rather part of his routine whenever he is substituted.

Chelsea winger, Noni Madueke, said:

“I literally went down the tunnel to go to the toilet and I came back 30 seconds later,” he said while on international duty with England. If you watch a lot of games when I come off, I always going straight down the tunnel to go to the toilet. It is nothing major at all.”

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca also played down the incident post-match, further supporting Madueke's explanation.

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Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, said:

“The problem is when you change a player, they are never happy,” he said in his post-match press conference. Probably the only way to be happy is after the Wolves game where he scored a hat-trick and we changed him, so he was happy. It's not only about Noni, it's about all the players.
“It's a good thing because they want to be there until the end. But in that moment, we thought in different ways, probably Pedro with Timber could be a little bit more aggressive - and also with Misha. So it was a tactical decision, no more than that.”

Post-Incident performance

Following this incident and subsequent game against Arsenal, Madueke joined Lee Carlsey’s England squad for their Nations League clash against Greece on Thursday. He made an impressive contribution by providing an assist for the opening goal while being named in the starting lineup. The Three Lions are set to be back in action on Sunday evening with high stakes - a win will guarantee them top place in their group and promotion back to League A. Fans are eagerly waiting to see if Madueka can continue his impressive form.

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Post international duty with England, Noni will return to Chelsea ahead of their Premier League game against Leicester City. The Blues are scheduled to travel to the King Power Stadium for the 12.30 pm kick-off on Saturday, 23 November.

While Madueke's actions were initially criticized as 'disrespectful', his explanation and subsequent performance have shifted focus back onto his footballing abilities. As he prepares for upcoming matches with both England and Chelsea, fans will be watching closely to see if he can continue impressing on the pitch.

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