Arsenal were eliminated from the FA Cup by Southampton on Saturday night, with forward Gabriel Martinelli involved in an accident with referee Sam Ballot in the closing stages.
Gabriel Martinelli vented his frustration against Southampton (Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey says referee Gabriel Martinelli should have been sent off for shoving referee Sam Ballot during Arsenal’s defeat to Southampton. The incident happened in the closing stages of Saints’ surprise 2-1 FA Cup win over Arsenal on Saturday night.
The home side regained the lead in the 85th minute with Shay Charles’ goal into the bottom corner, and the Gunners desperately chased a second equalizer. Mikel Arteta’s side tried to put pressure on Southampton, but in the 94th minute Max Doman was brought down and they were awarded a free-kick.
Martinelli ran onto the scene and immediately tried to take a free kick. He pushed Barot to grab the ball and tried to resume play as soon as possible. Shocked officials blew the whistle and gave the Arsenal forward a yellow card.
Halsey, who was a Premier League referee from 1999 to 2013, believes Ballot should have given a red instead to draw a marker and demand more respect for the referee.
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“Referee Sam Ballot awarded Arsenal a free-kick and Martinelli ran in and pushed Sam away,” he told The Sun. “I’m sorry, but Gabriel Martinelli showed complete disrespect for match official Sam Ballot in that situation.
“Sam got a yellow card, but for me it’s a red card. You can’t touch the referee, much less push him away. On Saturdays and Sundays, local park referees have to go out and look around the country playing matches. What message does this send to local park referees?”
“I thought Sam played a good game and refereed the game well, but I think he let the refereeing community down by not sending off Gabriel Martinelli for pushing in when he was awarded a free-kick, so he could have taken the free-kick straight away.”
Sam Ballot wanted for pushing Gabriel Martinelli
Let us know what you think. Should Gabriel Martinelli have been sent off? Please comment below.
Lev Support UK, a charity that trains and supports referees, wrote of X: “The FA cannot afford to leave him alone. If they do not take action against Arsenal and Martinelli, they will miss this opportunity.”
“There are too many incidents in soccer where referees are pushed or shoved, but in soccer you can’t escalate things any further. I would have liked to have seen the referee send him off.”
The incident came on a disastrous night for Arsenal on the south coast. Chasing the quad until recently, they now only have two competitions left after losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City and losing the FA Cup to Championship side Southampton.
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