Argentine goalkeeper Dibu Martínez faces a FIFA sanction for his controversial gesture with the Copa América trophy and an incident with a camera.
The goalkeeper, in the middle of the celebration, generated great indignation by inappropriately placing the Copa América trophy on his genitals, a gesture that was already known by fans since he celebrated the Golden Glove at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. . After Argentina’s defeat against Colombia, he also forcefully pushed away a camera that was filming him, which led to a strong reaction from FIFA.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper will miss the Argentine team’s next two matches in the CONMEBOL qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup against Venezuela and Bolivia. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee determined 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 two matches, confirming that ‘this sanction will come into force during the next official match(es) of the representative team of the Argentine Football Association.’ The AFA has expressed its ‘absolute disagreement with the decision taken’ by FIFA.
On September 5, during the Argentina-Chile match, Martínez repeated his obscene gesture with the Copa América trophy, conduct he has carried out on previous occasions, including immediately after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His actions have now provoked censure from the international body that regulates football.
Additionally, following Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Colombia on September 10, Martínez moved away from a camera filming him after greeting several rivals on the field, including his English club teammate Jhon Jader Durán.
This incident was captured by the cameras broadcasting the match held in Barranquilla and quickly spread on social networks, where Colombian fans interpreted it as a sign of bad sportsmanship.
The following day, the Colombian Association of Sports Journalists (Acord Colombia) strongly condemned the incident in a statement, recalling that ‘turning away from a camera is an attack on freedom of expression that our association will not tolerate,’ while stating that ‘ Colombia is a country where the freedom of information is respected.’
Argentina, which will face Venezuela as a visitor on October 10 and host Bolivia on October 15, currently leads the standings with 18 points, two ahead of Colombia and three more than Uruguay.
