Argentina’s Goalie, Emiliano Martinez has been accused of ‘cheating’ during Argentina’s World Cup final win.
In one of the what can be described as the greatest World Cup finals in history, Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties on Sunday to win their third consecutive world championship.
After goals from Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria gave Argentina the lead in the first half, Kylian Mbappe’s late brace forced the Qatar final into extra time.
After Mbappe achieved just the second hat-trick in a World Cup final, penalties were needed to decide the winner after Messi scored his seventh goal of the tournament in extra time.
Martinez, who has an exceptional track record in shootouts, became Argentina’s hero after blocking Kingsley Coman’s attempt and appearing to deter Aurelien Tchouameni before the Real Madrid midfielder missed wide.
Many have opinions divided on the goalkeepers antics during the penalty shootout as some people have praised his tenacity in trying to win at all costs, while others have accused him of gamesmanship.
However, according to former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan, his actions went beyond simple game-playing and actually constituted “cheating.”
Martinez clutched onto the ball and flung it away from the penalty spot before Tchouameni took the field. He then attempted to approach Randal Kolo Muani, who would take the following penalty for France, and was given a yellow card by the referee.
Jordan said on talkSPORT, “Martinez’s actions, I thought it was cheating, the holding of the ball and throwing it the other way.”
“The goalkeeper’s actions, in my opinion, are cheating rather than sportsmanship or a legitimate part of the game.”
“One of the problems in that situation, I think, was for the referee to allow the goalkeeper to manipulate the conditions, to heighten the strain, to enhance it.”
Martinez was at Arsenal for almost ten years, however he only made 38 appearances for the club before he left in 2020 to join another Premier League team Aston Villa.
