FIFA suspends Argentina goalkeeper for 2 World Cup qualifying matches

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced Friday that FIFA has suspended goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for two qualifying matches for the South American World Cup in October.

The decision excludes the 32-year-old from official round-robin matches against Venezuela and Bolivia on October 10 and 15.

The AFA said in a statement that FIFA’s disciplinary committee sanctioned Martínez over incidents during two World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Colombia earlier this month. The football body did not describe which incidents led to this sanction.

Martínez made an obscene gesture after his team’s 3-0 win over Chile by holding the Copa America trophy near his genitals, as he did after the South American team won the title of the World Cup in Qatar at the end of 2022.

He later slapped a local cameraman after Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Colombia in Barranquilla.

Argentina’s football body said it “absolutely disagreed” with FIFA’s decision.

Argentina leads South American World Cup qualifying with 18 points after eight matches, followed by Colombia (16) and Uruguay (15).

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