Julius Okorie
Argentine international and Aston Villa goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, has been handed a two game ban by World soccer ruling body, FIFA, over what the body dubbed unsportsmanlike conduct. The 32 year old was also reprimanded for “breaking the rules of fair play” in two different incidents.
In one instance, Martinez was accused of breaching FIFA’s guidelines by displaying a replica of the Copa America trophy to his groin following a victory over Chile in a World Cup qualifier on September 5.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThis behaviour is not unprecedented for Martinez, as he has previously been caught doing the same with the Golden Glove trophy after Argentina won the 2022 World Cup final on penalties against France.
Additionally, FIFA penalised Martinez for striking a TV cameraman with his gloves after their match against Colombia ended in a 2-1 loss on September 10.
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Ironically Primebusiness.africa understands that Argentine Football Association is not happy with the decision taken by FIFA and has voiced its displeasure with the decision as if encouraging the goalkeeper to continue with what has become his trademark since the last World Cup in Qatar.
“It should be noted that the Argentine Football Association expresses its absolute disagreement with the decision taken by the FIFA disciplinary committee,” they said in a statement. It is not known whether the association is angry because of the punishment handed to the goalkeeper or just because he will be missed in at least two upcoming qualifiers.
Due to the FIFA declaration, Martinez, a crucial player for Argentina, which clinched the Copa America in July and the 2021 tournament, will not participate in the World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela on October 10 and Bolivia on October 15.
Argentina currently holds the lead in the South American qualifying rankings with 18 points after eight games. Colombia is trailing by just two points.
Argentina won the last world cup in Qatar after beating France in the final.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
