Emiliano Martinez Faces 2 Match Suspension from FIFA for Offensive Behaviour

Additionally, Emiliano Martinez was found guilty of “violating principles of fairplay” in two different incidents.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) said on Saturday that Emiliano Martinez, the goalkeeper for Argentina during the World Cup, has been suspended by FIFA for two games due to “offensive behavior.” Additionally, two separate occurrences of “violating principles of fairplay” were deemed to have been committed by the 32-year-old Aston Villa player.

After the World Cup qualification victory over Chile on September 5, Martinez was deemed to have broken FIFA’s code of conduct by holding a facsimile of the Copa America trophy to his groin.

Martinez had already done this with the Golden Glove trophy for best goalkeeper during Argentina’s penalty-filled victory over France in the 2022 World Cup final.

FIFA also punished him for striking a TV cameraman’s equipment with his gloves following their September 10 2-1 loss to Colombia.

The AFA voiced their displeasure with the FIFA decision.

“It should be noted that the Argentine Football Association expresses its absolute disagreement with the decision taken by the FIFA disciplinary committee,” they stated in a statement.

Martinez, a crucial player for Argentina’s squad that won both the Copa America in July and the 2021 edition, will miss the World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia on October 15 and Venezuela on October 10 due to the decision.

After eight games, Argentina leads the South American qualification standings with eighteen points. Colombia trails by barely two points.