Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been banned by FIFA for “offensive behaviour” and will miss Argentina’s next two World Cup qualifying games.
The suspension stems from two incidents during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia earlier this month. On 6 September, after Argentina’s 3-0 win over Chile, Martinez repeated his controversial celebration from the 2022 World Cup by holding a replica Copa America trophy against his crotch.
The match was Argentina‘s first since their Copa America victory in the United States in July.
In a second incident on 10 September, Martinez hit a camera with his gloves as a cameraman approached him following Argentina’s 2-1 defeat to Colombia.
The Argentina Football Association expressed disagreement with the ban but acknowledged that Martinez was “responsible” for his actions. As a result, he will miss the upcoming qualifiers against Venezuela and Bolivia in October.
Martinez, who won the Golden Glove award as the best goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup, made headlines for a similar gesture after receiving the trophy during the tournament’s presentation ceremony.