EArgentine goalkeeper Aston Villa, Emiliano Martinez, received a two-match penalty from FIFA, So he will not be able to play for the Albiceleste national team in the upcoming matches of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup against Venezuela and Bolivia.
According to the Argentine Football Association (Ava) published on its official website, despite the defense made by the federation itself and the player, the disciplinary committee of the governing body of world football considers ‘Depo’ “Responsible for his offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play” In the duels against Chile and Colombia, as well as in the World Cup qualifiers.
The text states that the defendant is suspended for two matches and that ” the said suspension will be served during the next official match (s) of the representative team of the Argentine Football Association.”
Ava is clear “I completely disagree With the decision made by FIFA, ” he added in his text.
On September 5, in the framework of Argentina-Chile, ‘Depo’ repeated with America’s Cup obscene gesture He has already done this on previous occasions, including after winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup, putting the trophy in front of his genitals, for which he was punished by the governing body of world football.
In addition, after the match that Argentina lost 2-1 to Colombia on September 10, Martinez was greeted by several rivals on the field , including his English teammate John Gader Dorn , but at some point he went straight and He hit with his hand the camera that focused on him.
What happened was captured by the cameras that broadcast the match played in Barranquilla and was quickly uploaded to the social networks in which it was Colombian fans interpreted it as a bad losing gesture.
The next day, the Colombian Association of sports journalists (accord Colombia) “strongly” rejected what happened, because it said in a statement, “hitting a fist to throw the photographer’s elements at the center is an attack on freedom of expression that our association does not recognize. Colombia is a country where media freedom is respected.”
Argentina, who will play on October 10 against Venezuela as a visitor and on October 15 at home against Bolivia, Leads the qualifying table, with 18 points, two points ahead of Colombia and three points ahead of Uruguay.
