By Abiola Olawale
FIFA has placed a two-match ban on Argentina’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez.
Martinez, a 32-year-old Aston Villa goalkeeper, was banned for “offensive behaviour”, FIFA announced.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Martinez received the ban after he was found guilty of “violating principles of fair play” in two separate episodes.
Martinez was found to have violated FIFA’s code of conduct when holding a replica of the Copa America trophy to his groin after the World Cup qualifier win over Chile on September 5.
The New Diplomat reports that the shot-stopper will miss the matches against Venezuela and Bolivia next month as Argentina continues its quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
It would be recalled that Argentina which is Currently leading in the rankings , may well be on course to defend their 2022 Qatar World Cup victory.
