By Saheed Afolabi
Chelsea legend Joe Cole has voiced his concerns over Wilfred Ndidi’s challenge on Cole Palmer during Leicester City’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, a match that saw the Blues climb to third in the Premier League standings.
Cole, speaking on TNT Sports, described Ndidi’s tackle on Palmer as “reckless” and argued that it should have resulted in a red card, despite the VAR review that upheld the referee’s decision to issue only a yellow card.
“That tackle was dangerous, he [Ndidi] could have hurt him [Palmer]. If VAR is ever going to step in for reckless endangerment, then that’s the type of challenge it should be looking at,” Cole said.
“Leicester were already struggling in the game, and at that point, Ndidi had clearly lost his composure. It was a bad tackle, and he should have been sent off.”
Cole went on to suggest that if Ndidi had scored an equalizer for Leicester, it could have sparked unnecessary controversy, potentially causing a setback for Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.
“Imagine if Ndidi had played a role in Leicester getting back into the game. Maresca would have been furious,” Cole added. “It was a close call, but in my opinion, he should have been off the pitch.”
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.
