Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez will miss the upcoming international break due to suspension, according to the Argentine Football Association.
The Copa América winners will take on Venezuela and Bolivia in the World Cup qualifiers in October. The 33-year-old won’t make it Lionel Scaloni’s squad next month.
The AFA have confirmed the Aston Villa star has been handed a two-game ban for his “offensive behaviour” against both Chile and Colombia.
According to Marca, Martínez made an ‘obscene gesture’ in La Albiceleste’s 3-0 win over Chile earlier this month.
He was also involved in a controversy in the following match against Colombia. Argentina lost the tie 1-0 and the stopper attacked a camera, after the fulltime.
The Colombian Association of Sports Journalists requested FIFA to hand the Aston Villa goalkeeper a 20-match ban for his actions. This was deemed excessive by the Argentine journalists. The World Cup winner will now serve a two-match ban for his “offensive behaviour”.
Argentina are not at all pleased with the FIFA disciplinary committee’s decision to suspend the stopper for two games.
“It should be noted that the Argentine Football Association expresses its absolute disagreement with the decision taken by the FIFA disciplinary committee,” a statement read on the AFA’s official website.
Martínez has kept one clean sheet and conceded seven goals from six games for Unai Emery’s side this season.
