ARGENTINA’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, has been handed a two-match ban by FIFA for “offensive behavior,” the Argentine Football Association announced on Saturday, September 28 2024.
The 32-year-old Aston Villa player was also found guilty of “violating principles of fair play” in two separate incidents.
Martinez breached FIFA’s code of conduct when he held a replica of the Copa America trophy to his groin following Argentina’s World Cup qualifier victory over Chile on September 5.
This is not the first time Martinez has acted in this way; he had previously done something similar with the Golden Glove trophy after Argentina’s penalty shootout win against France in the 2022 World Cup final.
FIFA also penalised him for striking a TV cameraman’s camera with his gloves after their 2-1 loss to Colombia on September 10. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) expressed their disappointment with FIFA’s decision.
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“It should be noted that the Argentine Football Association expresses its absolute disagreement with the decision taken by the FIFA disciplinary committee,” Part of the statement read.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org