Argentina’s Dibu Martínez Faces FIFA Sanction for Controversial Trophy Gesture and Camera Incident
The celebrating goalkeeper drew significant ire after placing the Copa América trophy inappropriately on his genitals—a gesture familiar to fans since he celebrated the Golden Glove in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Following Argentina’s defeat against Colombia, he also slapped away a camera aimed at him, leading to a severe backlash from FIFA.
The Aston Villa shot-stopper will miss the upcoming two matches for the Argentine national team in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers for 2026 against Venezuela and Bolivia. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee ruled that Martínez was ‘responsible for his offensive behavior and violated the principles of fair play’ during previous matches against Chile and Colombia in the qualifiers.
The suspension will last for two matches, with the text confirming that ‘this sanction will take effect during the next official match(es) of the Argentine Football Association’s representative team.’ The AFA has expressed its ‘absolute disagreement with the decision made’ by FIFA.
On September 5, during the Argentina-Chile match, Martínez repeated his obscene gesture with the Copa América trophy, which he has done on previous occasions, including immediately after winning the FIFA World Cup 2022. His actions have now attracted the international football governing body’s censure.
Additionally, following Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Colombia on September 10, Martínez slapped away a camera that was filming him after he greeted several opponents on the pitch, including his English club teammate Jhon Jader Durán.
This incident was captured by cameras broadcasting the match held in Barranquilla and swiftly circulated on social media, where Colombian fans interpreted it as a display of poor sportsmanship.
The next day, the Colombian Association of Sports Journalists (Acord Colombia) firmly condemned the incident in a statement, recalling that ‘slapping away a camera is an assault on free expression that our association will not tolerate,’ while asserting that ‘Colombia is a country where the freedom to inform is respected.’
Argentina, set to play away against Venezuela on October 10 and hosting Bolivia on October 15, currently tops the qualifying table with 18 points, two ahead of Colombia and three more than Uruguay.
