Aston Villa star Emiliano Martinez should be banned as BBC footage emerges – expert
Paul Robinson has claimed Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez should have been sent off in the World Cup final.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs and England number one said referee Szymon Marciniak “did not have the courage” to show Martinez, 30, the red card.
Martinez was the hero for Argentina in the World Cup final.
The Villa number one played a key role in normal time, extra time and the penalty shootout for his country.
As shown by BBC (19 December), Martinez was shown a yellow card after throwing the ball away and intimidating French players during the shootout.
Robinson believes the goalkeeper’s actions warranted two yellows.
“He should have been sent off,” he told Football Insider. “100 per cent.
“But, it is very difficult to find a referee who has the courage to send off a goalkeeper in a World Cup final though. By the letter of the law he should have been booked twice and sent off. He should not have been in goal.
“If you throw the ball away in a game you get booked. If you waste time or there is a situation where you throw the ball away, you get booked. That is standard. That has been the standard for years. He did not get booked for that though.
“It is quite simple. He should have been booked twice and he should have been sent off. The referee did not have the courage to do it in a World Cup final.”
In other news, a source has revealed Aston Villa are making a move to sign Nicolas Jackson ahead of the January window.