Sports
Argentina’s Martinez Faces Ban For ‘Offensive Behaviour’
The 32-year-old Aston Villa star 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.
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This is not the first time Martinez has made such a gesture; he previously did the same with the Golden Glove trophy after Argentina’s penalty shootout win over France in the 2022 World Cup final.
FIFA also penalized him for striking a TV cameraman’s camera with his gloves following Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Colombia on September 10.
The AFA has expressed its displeasure with FIFA’s decision.
“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.
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As a result of the decision, Martinez—who was also instrumental in Argentina’s Copa America victories in 2021 and July—will miss the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela on October 10 and Bolivia on October 15.
Argentina currently sit at the top of the South American qualifying table with 18 points from eight matches, while Colombia trail just two points behind.
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