By Wale Mustapha
Former Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has criticized Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson for his red card during the Blues’ 3-1 loss to Flamengo in their second group match at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in Philadelphia.
Chelsea, trailing 2-1 when Jackson was introduced in the 63rd minute for Liam Delap, saw their comeback hopes dashed after the Senegalese striker was sent off for a reckless challenge. The dismissal reduced the Premier League side to 10 men and effectively ended their momentum.
Pedro Neto had given Chelsea an early lead, but Flamengo responded with goals from Bruno Henrique and Danilo to take control of the match.
Speaking on DAZN after the match, Mikel did not hold back in his criticism of Jackson’s conduct.
“Nicolas Jackson comes in and gets the red card. It just went from bad to worse, unbelievable. Stupid, stupid, stupid mistake,” Mikel said. “I don’t know what is going through his head. Your team needs you, and you do that. He did that at Newcastle. Now he’s done this. I don’t care what his frustration is.”
Jackson will now miss Chelsea’s final group game due to suspension.
The loss leaves Chelsea needing a win in their next match to keep their hopes of progressing in the tournament alive.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
