Gabriel Martinelli was booked for pushing referee Sam Ballot’s arm in the final stages of Arsenal’s disastrous FA Cup defeat to Southampton.
Sam Ballot wanted for pushing Gabriel Martinelli
Manager Gabriel Martinelli is set to avoid retrospective action from the Football Association after he shoved the referee during Arsenal’s shock FA Cup defeat to Southampton.
The Arsenal forward was booked for pushing Sam Barrott’s arm late in the 2-1 defeat at St Mary’s. The incident occurred in the 94th minute when Martinelli collided with the referee while attempting to take a quick free kick.
However, due to Ballott’s actions on the field, The Athletic reported that Ballot will not face further punishment from the free agency.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey condemned the Brazilian’s antics and insisted he should have been shown a straight red card. “Referee Sam Barot awarded Arsenal a free-kick and Martinelli rushed in and pushed Sam away.
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“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.”
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.”
Gabriel Martinelli vented his frustration against Southampton (Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)
“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.”
It will be the second time this season that Martinelli has avoided a retroactive ban after there were calls for a suspension following the incident with Conor Bradley.
Martinelli then pushed a Liverpool defender off the pitch, suffering a season-ending injury.
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This latest misdemeanor by Martinelli added yet another tragedy to a disastrous night for the Gunners, who saw their Treble dreams fade away.
Having lost in the Carabao Cup final before the international break, a trip to the Championship team seemed like the perfect remedy. Instead, Shay Charles scored the winning goal late on and they were understandably on the back foot.
Saints will face Manchester City at Wembley, leaving Arsenal to focus on the Champions League and Premier League.
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